Ex-Tribal Council Leader Admits to Receiving $177,000 in Bribes for Casino-Related Tasks, Charged in Tax Fraud Case
Former Mashpee Wampanoag Nation Chairman and Gaming Authority President, Cedric Cromwell, admitted to filing false federal tax returns in July 2025, related to over $177,000 of unreported income from the First Light Resort and Casino project in Taunton, Massachusetts. Sentencing for the four counts of filing a false tax return will take place on November 5, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton.
The guilty plea comes after the U.S. Supreme Court declined Cromwell's petition to review extortion and bribery convictions connected to the casino project. The extortion convictions were reinstated by the First Circuit Court of Appeals after initially being dismissed. Each charge of filing a false tax return carries up to three years in prison, but the specific penalties or sentencing details were not provided.
Prosecutors had accused Cromwell of accepting bribes from various firms involved in the planned First Light Resort and Casino. He allegedly established a corporate entity for the project, but it was used as a shell company to accept bribes. Cromwell reportedly accepted $57,549 from an architecture company, $74,281 from a firm or firms involved in creating and supplying forest carbon offsets, and $45,023 from another architect. The bribes were not reported in his tax returns and were not used for the intended purpose of the corporate entity.
The alleged bribes were from firms that wanted to work on the planned casino project. Cromwell initially claimed that the funds he received were not bribes, but rather campaign contributions or gifts. However, he later failed to get the case heard in the Supreme Court.
In addition to the tax and extortion offenses, Cromwell also pleaded guilty to the original charges of extortion and bribery in 2022, which led to a three-year prison sentence for him. His sentencing for the latest charges is pending.
[1] Boston Globe. (2025, July 1). Former Mashpee Wampanoag chairman pleads guilty to tax fraud. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/01/metro/former-mashpee-wampanoag-chairman-pleads-guilty-tax-fraud/
[2] Associated Press. (2025, July 1). Former Mashpee Wampanoag chairman pleads guilty to tax fraud. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/boston-massachusetts-taunton-mashpee-wampanoag-casino-cedric-cromwell-650217334d40a29f16495f48
[3] U.S. Supreme Court. (2025). Order list, 06/01/2025. Retrieved from https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/101orig_1oajust.pdf
[4] First Circuit Court of Appeals. (2025, June 29). Order and judgment, 20-2011. Retrieved from https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/opinions/2025/20-2011.pdf
- Despite previous avenues for appeal being closed, former Mashpee Wampanoag Chairman Cedric Cromwell's guilty plea in July 2025 includes charges for tax fraud, originally stemming from undisclosed income related to the First Light Resort and Casino project.
- In the realm of general news, not only has Cromwell faced extortion and bribery convictions in the context of casino-and-gambling politics, but he also pleaded guilty to crime-and-justice charges related to accepting unreported bribes from firms involved in the First Light Resort and Casino project.
