East Windsor casino hits major setback
The MMCT venture has been delayed by an ongoing investigation after former DoI secretary may have lied to federal investigators.
US.- The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Tribes have been pushing to open a new casino in East Windsor, outside tribal land, through their joint venture, the MMCT, but have hit several hurdles. Senator Richard Blumenthal had even urged the successor to Department of Interior (DoI) Secretary Ryan Zinke to approve changes to Connecticut’s revenue-sharing compact in order to get the venue up and running as soon as possible, but yet another slump has surged.
One of the bills under consideration to let the MMCT introduce a casino in East Windsor required both tribes to have a federal compact in place. However, the DoI approved a compact for the Mohegan tribe, but not for the Pequot tribe.
The main issue, however, lies with an investigation launched by the DoI’s Office of the Inspector General, in which former Secretary Zinke may have lied. That’s why prosecutors have began presenting evidence in Washington to assess whether he should be charged with any crimes related to a potential false testimony.
“I sided with a principle that I didn’t want to take a position on something that was off the reservation. I had multiple legal counselors’ opinions about what was legal. The investigators may not have liked my answers, but they were truthful,” Zinke assured.
Mohegan tribe’s chief of staff Chuck Bunnell added: “I wish I could say I was shocked to hear that there might be a grand jury, and there might be investigations into political influence peddling. It’s extremely disappointing, but unfortunately, not shocking.”
