712 Digital Group - top

Ex-tribal council member gets probation for casino theft

News

August 8th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A former council member for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska who’d pleaded guilty to stealing from the tribe’s casino in Iowa has been given five years of probation. A U.S. district judge in Omaha also told Lawrence Payer on Monday that he must pay $36,000 in restitution. Payer had pleaded guilty to theft from a gaming establishment on Indian lands.

Also Monday in Omaha, another former tribal council member pleaded guilty to the same charge. The sentencing for Thomas Snowball is scheduled for Nov. 6. Authorities say nine former council members conspired to siphon more than $327,000 from the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.