Former Mashpee Leader Admits Tax Fraud Linked to $1B Casino Project
Cedric Cromwell, the ex-chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in Massachusetts, has admitted guilt to federal tax fraud offenses, three years post his prison sentence for accepting bribes related to a tribal casino initiative.
In 2022, Cromwell, aged 60, was found guilty of taking bribes to safeguard an architectural company's $5 million consultancy deal related to the tribe's $1 billion First Light Casino Project in Taunton, Mass. – a venture that is still unfulfilled.
Although a federal judge first dismissed several of Cromwell's convictions post-trial, a federal appeals court overturned that decision in September 2024, restoring the charges. In May 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider Cromwell’s appeal, upholding the convictions.
Seeking Resolution
On Thursday of last week, he admitted guilt to four federal charges related to submitting fraudulent tax returns and not reporting over $177K in taxable earnings from 2014 to 2017 during his time as tribal chair and president of the gaming authority overseeing the project.
Cromwell’s attorney Daniel Cloherty informed The Cape Cod Times that the disgraced ex-leader is prepared to conclude a "long and challenging" legal journey
“After many years of litigation, he and his family are looking forward to having the matter finally resolved,” Cloherty said.
In 2016, the First Light project, funded by Genting, was set to commence construction, aiming to offer economic self-sufficiency to the Mashpee, who are descendants of the tribe that shared a meal with the Pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving.
However, a federal court decision halted the project and prompted the Trump administration to seek to rescind the tribe’s land-in-trust designation. The Biden administration later overturned that decision, reinstating the tribe’s sovereign land and rekindling aspirations for the casino.
Dismissed from Position
Cromwell was ousted from his position following his indictment by a federal grand jury in November 2020. He was finally found guilty of attempting to solicit three bribes from David DeQuattro, the owner of RGB Architects, based in Rhode Island. Court documents indicate that these consisted of checks, a Bowflex home gym, and accommodations at a hotel.
DeQuattro subsequently had his conviction overturned on appeal when it was found that there was inadequate evidence to demonstrate he intentionally took part in the bribery scheme with criminal intent.
Conversely, the same panel concluded that Cromwell’s intention was to extort, as evidenced by the pattern of payments, demands, and attempts at concealment.
The US Supreme Court upheld that ruling by choosing not to hear Cromwell’s case in May of this year.
Cromwell is set to be sentenced in November for the tax offenses and the extortion convictions that were restored upon appeal.
The charges for filing a false tax return can result in a prison sentence of up to three years, a supervised release of up to one year, and a fine of $100,000. Each extortion charge can result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years, followed by three years of supervised release and fines reaching $250,000 per charge.
