Denson: Choctaws to cooperate fully with FBI

CHOCTAW — The chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians says he’s confident in tribal casinos’ management and has told casino officials to cooperate fully with the FBI.

A statement from Bradley Denson says the nature of the investigation is still unclear.

The Hattiesburg American reports that his statement July 15 says he is concerned about the investigation’s timing.

The FBI raided the Golden Moon and Silver Star casinos July 12, a week after Phyliss J. Anderson was elected to replace Denson.

In a separate FBI-related item, a Washington state Native American tribe is suing several Mississippi municipalities over allegations that law enforcement officials illegally invaded tribal lands during an FBI-led raid earlier this year.

The target of the Feb. 16 search was property that belongs to King Mountain Tobacco, which was under federal investigation in a black-market cigarette conspiracy. The City of Tupelo and Marshall County in Mississippi are among targets in the lawsuit.

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation claim police barged onto tribal land without prior notice and invaded their peace.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported that the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Washington, seeks a court order compelling the defendants to notify the tribe of any entry onto reservation lands.

Source: Hattiesburg American; Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal