Brown pleads guilty to embezzlement charge

By Dustin Gray
Editor

A former tribal employee pleaded guilty to embezzlement before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma on Tuesday, October 28, 2008.

Gannon Brown, 22, of Bowlegs officially accepted guilt for one count of theft by officers or employees of an Indian gaming establishment. Brown was an employee at the Seminole Nation River Mist Casino in Konawa.

The maximum possible penalty for Brown’s offense is imprisonment of not more than 20 years and/or a fine of $1 million. However, according to U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling, Brown will serve a significantly shorter sentence.

“A preliminary calculation of the Sentencing Guidelines, projects an advisory sentencing range of 12-18 months imprisonment,” he stated.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Horn served as lead prosecutor in the case of United States of America v. Gannon Brown.

“Charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” stated Sperling. Brown was later indicted in September 2008.

A trial before District Judge Frank H. Seay was initially scheduled for November 17, 2008 at the U.S. Courthouse in Muskogee. As a result of Brown’s guilty plea, the case will not go to trial.

Judge Seay accepted the defendant’s guilty plea on October 28, 2008 and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be passed once the report is compiled.

Brown was employed at the SN River Mist Casino from February 2008 through June 2008. During that time span, Brown confessed to stealing a sum of more than $1,000 from the Casino and converting this money to his own personal use.

A preliminary assessment of the amount of loss to the SN ranges between $40,231 and $93,900. These figures were agreed upon by the defendant for the purposes of United States Sentencing Guideline calculations. Following the presentation of evidence from both parties, an exact figure will be determined by the Court at sentencing.

“Any time the tribe is taken advantage of by one its employees, it really hurts,” said Principal Chief Kelly Haney, “but it’s especially devastating when that employee is a tribal member. I just can’t fathom why anyone would want to steal from their own people.”

“There are a lot of things that we could have done with those funds,” Chief Haney continued. “That money could have gone to Domestic Violence, ASAP, Job Placement and Training, or any number of other programs, where it would have really helped our Seminole people in need.”

Brown is a member of the Tallahassee Band. He was released pending the sentencing hearing