Soboba Tribal Leader Hospitalized

SAN JACINTO – Soboba Tribal leader Robert Salgado was hospitalized this weekend in intensive care for an undisclosed illness.

“This is such a very private matter for our family. Everyone’s prayers and concern are very much appreciated,” Salgado’s sister, Rose Salgado, stated in a prepared release.

Salgado has led the Soboba tribe, east of San Jacinto, intermittently for more than 30 years since he was first elected in 1976. He has long fought diabetes and walks with a cane, but has said his health has not affected his leadership, The Press-Enterprise reported.

In October, Salgado was charged in a 36-count indictment on charges that he accepted $250,000 in bribes to pay his personal debt in exchange for contracts at the Soboba Casino and the reservation. He pleaded not guilty. A trial date is scheduled for May 7.

Salgado has given up his chairmanship, pending resolution of the charges.

In a 2008 dispute with Sheriff Stanley Sniff, Salgado demanded that deputies identify themselves before entering the reservation, and Sniff responded by trying to get the casino’s gaming license suspended. That beef has since been resolved.