The Catawba, a South Carolina-based American Indian tribe, won federal approval to build a casino on its historic North Carolina lands in 2020. The gaming commission also ruled that the Catawba Nation and SkyBoat failed to submit a management contract within 60 days of its execution, as required by law. The agreement gave SkyBoat “management authority” over the casino operation, a violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the commission said.

SkyBoat, the gaming commission ruled, had too much ownership and authority over the project, which is supposed to benefit the roughly 3,000 Catawba members. “They (SkyBoat officials) have not turned in any type of receipt, any type of documentation… There is no proof as to where the $125 million comes from.”Ī year ago, the National Indian Gaming Commission concluded that the development contract between the tribe and SkyBoat violated federal law. “The $125 million is based on air, so to speak,” Harris said.

Harris, speaking to The Charlotte Observer from Las Vegas on Tuesday, declined to say how much money he thinks SkyBoat deserves. The settlement agreement calls for the tribe to pay SkyBoat, which is led by politically connected Wallace Cheves, $125 million for the company’s work helping the Catawba Nation acquire 17 acres and have it put into a land trust for the casino project. Brian Harris has been elected as the Catawba Indian Nation’s chief.

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