Calif. judge orders Indian casino’s till tapped
A judge has taken the unusual step of ordering a sheriff to take money from a Central California Native American casino’s till to pay a $725,000 settlement reached between the tribe and a former casino manager.
The Fresno Bee reports that Madera County Sheriff John Anderson has until the end of November to carry out county Judge Michael Jurkovich’s ruling against The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians. The tribe owns the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino in the Sierra foothills near Yosemite National Park.
According to the Bee, the tribe is in the midst of a leadership dispute that has resulted in its bank accounts being frozen.
A spokesman for one of two rival tribal factions says the group will fight Jurkovich’s ruling.
Sheriff Anderson plans to seek legal advice before taking any action.