Former Pequot Chairman Banished After Embezzlement

A former chairman of the tribe that owns the Foxwoods Resort Casino has been banished from its reservation following his conviction on federal theft charges.

The Day of New London reports the Mashantucket Pequots' Elders Council voted last week to banish former chairman Michael Thomas from tribal lands. Thomas was convicted in July of embezzling more than $100,000 from the tribe and began serving an 18-month prison sentence in January.

The council also voted to impose restrictions on his brother, Steven Thomas, who pleaded guilty to a theft charge and was sentenced last month to probation and three months of home confinement.

The council said he was banished for one year from tribal land except for his home on the reservation and his work at Foxwoods.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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