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| Del Marsh |
Three charities in Greene County have filed a lawsuit against Alabama Sen. Del Marsh, accusing him of soliciting bribes to benefit the Poarch Creek Indians with a bill (SB-214) currently under consideration in the Alabama Legislature. Marsh is not the only political figure to take heat in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs are Age With Dignity Inc., OIC Dream Greene County, and Dream County Inc. Defendants include fictitious parties -- members of the legislature who allegedly have accepted funds from the Poarch Creeks to promote or agree to vote for SB 214. From the lawsuit, which is embedded at the end of this post:
The sponsors of SB-214, Defendant Marsh, President Pro Tem of the Senate, on two occasions, solicited a bribe and received monies from the Poarch Creeks to sponsor and pursue legislation like SB-214. According to the Alabama Political Reporter, “WHEN THE HEAD OF THE POARCH CREEK TRIBE WAS ASKED IF THE REQUEST CAME FROM DEL MARSH, HE SAID "YES", WHEN ASKED AGAIN, MCGHEE SAID, "IT WASN’T AT OUR REQUEST. IT WAS AT HIS REQUEST." ACCORDING TO MCGHEE, MARSH MADE SUCH A REQUEST ON TWO OCCASIONS, ASKING FOR $100K ON ONE VISIT AND $250K ON THE NEXT. "WE GAVE THE MONEY IN THE SPIRIT OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR ALABAMA GOVERNMENT,’ SAID MCGHEE.
In a report at WSFA, Marsh and McGhee dispute the accusations:
“That’s a flat lie. I mean, I’ve never, ever insinuated to anyone that I will cast a vote for money. That’s a flat out lie,” Marsh said.
A representative for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians called the allegations in the lawsuit nonsense.
“It’s definitely not true. It’s unfortunate that people would want to attack the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and Senator Marsh with unfounded and nonsense accusations,” said Robert McGhee, director of governmental affairs and public relations.
The lawsuit also claims that Senate Bill 214, a gambling proposal Marsh is sponsoring, creates an illegal monopoly. The legislation as it stands would allow five locations to have casino-style games. Four of those locations are current operations. The legislation would also create a lottery.
“I’ve been hired by three charities in Greene County, who received their funds on legally operating gaming facilities under the law,” said attorney Thomas Gallion, who represents the plaintiffs. “They have to, you know, go through the charities, and they are being blocked by Senate Bill 214, which gives a monopoly to a selected few, in particularly the Poarch Creek Indians.”
Gallion said his clients want Senate Bill 214 “declared a restraint of trade” and that it essentially creates an illegal monopoly.
In the complaint, Gallion spells out the expected harm to Greene County and describes GreeneTrack's operations as "fraudulent":
Almost 90 percent of Greene County’s total revenue comes from bingo revenue at legally
operated gaming facilities in Greene County that SB-214 would destroy. If this revenue is taken away from Greene County, Greene County could go into bankruptcy for the second time.GreeneTrack, owes the State of Alabama $71,976,944.00 in taxes and has a recorded
certified tax lien by the State of Alabama Department of Revenue. This amount does not include interest and penalties over the last 3 years. . . .
SB-214 would give a monopoly in Greene County to GreeneTrack, who will not pay its taxes; will not pay its rent to Greene County; will not pay the other fees to Greene County; and will not disclose the stockholders in GreeneTrack to the citizens of Greene County. Winn and [Al] Sharpton were denied a license in the State of New York as stated above and according to IRS records, Sharpton owes millions in federal income taxes. As stated, Sharpton, Winn, and GreeneTrack spent over $10 million dollars of GreeneTrack’s shareholders’ money to file application for a Gaming License in the state of New York.
As for political figures, besides Marsh, who take fire in the lawsuit . . . well, they include some familiar names:
Jack Abramoff (“Abramoff”) and his D.C. lobby partner Michael Scanlon (“Scanlon”) concocted an illegal ploy to use Indian Casino money to take over the State of Alabama in 2001. Both were convicted in this matter and sent to prison. In order to accomplish their goals they used Alabama politicians. The main conspirator was then their ally, Republican Congressman Bob Riley (“Riley”).
Felons Abramoff and Scanlon worked with Riley in assisting him with Indian casino money to run for governor against the Democratic incumbent Don Siegelman. Abramoff’s
client was the Mississippi Choctaw Indians Casino (“Choctaw”) located near the Alabama-
Mississippi line (the majority of gamblers were from Alabama).
The following are illegal acts Abramoff and the Choctaws accomplished, admitted in writing by Abramoff in his book Capitol Punishment. Abramoff stated as follows:
(a) Don Siegelman was indeed targeted for prosecution by the Choctaws;
(b) Milton McGregor was politically prosecuted by Riley and his allies because he
refused to hire Riley’s son, attorney Rob Riley, which he considered a bribe designed to help the Choctaws;(c) Abramoff stated, “It cost the tribe approximately $20 million to wage the battles,
but the returns were worth it to them” he said, “Chief Martin called it ‘the best slot machine they had’, and he was not kidding.”
Bob Riley comes under particularly heavy fire in Gallion's complaint:
Riley and later the Poarch Creeks had taken millions from the Choctaws, and Scanlon
was not only his ally but was his former congressional aide.
Riley defeated Siegelman because he and other Republicans had used their political
power with the Republican U.S. Attorney Laura Canary and Republican Federal Judge Mark Fuller to try and wrongfully indict and convict Siegelman in the most corrupt political prosecution in the history of our country. This Honorable Court can take judicial notice of the corrupt trial in the Federal Court for the Middle District of Alabama. This resulted in putting an innocent Siegelman in prison to accomplish Riley’s goals to help the Choctaws defeat Siegelman’s Education Lottery proposal and to defeat Siegelman in his governor's race against Riley.
Riley also organized the indictment of Milton McGregor, on behalf of the Choctaws. Riley accepted millions in bribe money, directly or indirectly, when governor of Alabama, from the Choctaws. McGregor was found innocent because he had an excellent lawyer in Joe Espy and, unlike Siegelman, drew an honest federal judge, Myron Thompson, whom Riley (on behalf of the Choctaws) could not control.
Riley then turned his corrupt ploy and began helping the Alabama Poarch Creek
Indians (“Poarch Creek”) and has taken thousands, if not millions, of dollars in bribes to help create a gaming monopoly for the Poarch Creeks by using his position as governor of Alabama.
Luther Strange does not escape Gallion's attention:
Riley solicited his ally Republican Attorney General Luther Strange (“Strange”) to
complete his mission to shut down McGregor and at the same time destroy the historical majority black City of Tuskegee and Macon County.
Strange took $100,000 and used his position as attorney general to illegally raid
McGregor’s casino (and other gaming facilities), terrifying the majority black employees and patrons in a manner that has never happened in Alabama. After Strange took the above stated money from the Poarch Creeks, in return he did the following at Riley’s and the Poarch Creeks’ instructions:
(a) Strange ignored a very respected Alabama circuit judge’s order that he could not
perform this raid;(b) Strange ignored the sheriff of Macon County, who by law, was in charge of the
enforcement of the law regarding McGregor’s casino, Victoryland, which was a legal operation -- and the law making it a legal operation was enacted by the Alabama Legislature; and
(c) Strange and his troops confiscated Victoryland’s machines and subsequently gave
them to the Poarch Creek Casino, to further earn the $100,000 payment he received.
Alabama has been bought by the Indian casinos’ money to pay off corrupt politicians to help the Indian casinos, who pay no taxes-- which, if paid, would help the public-school
children in Alabama. In 2017, Alabama was ranked 50th of 50 states as the worst educational system in the nation. The only Alabama citizens who have benefited in all of this are the corrupt politicians and the Indian casinos. Riley, Strange, and Defendant Marsh by their actions have harmed and will continue to harm the public school systems in Alabama.
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