Tribe Factions Battle for Control of Casino Near Yosemite

In a dramatic standoff Oct. 9, one faction claiming leadership of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians forcibly entered the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino. They allegedly carried guns and Tasers and fought with security guards. Someone pulled a fire alarm, and about 500 patrons in the middle of gambling were ordered to exit without cashing out their winnings.

Attorney General Kamala Harris filed a complaint that the intra-tribal dispute was threatening public health, safety and welfare. Federal judge Lawrence O’Neill temporarily closed the casino following last week’s standoff, and he's scheduled to consider the fate of the casino at a hearing in Fresno today.

Tensions between rival factions of the Chukchansi tribe have been brewing for at least three years. Things escalated once the National Indian Gaming Commission threatened fines for long-overdue audits of the casino earlier this month.

But some critics say the federal government waited too long to intervene.

“The big takeaway is that federal regulators didn’t do their job,” says Fresno State Professor Kenneth Hansen, who co-authored a book on Indian Gaming. “They had multiple opportunities to step in and try and address the problems here. They just let it fester for about three years, and this is the result of that.”

Meanwhile, one faction of the tribal leadership is still holed up on the casino’s 11th floor, and sheriff’s deputies are providing round-the-clock security.

Valley Public Radio's Ezra Romero reported on the divisions in the tribe and talked to casino employees who fear that a prolonged closure could devastate the livelihoods of many locals in the mountain communities of Coarsegold. The casino is a major employer in the area and pays a million dollars a year for rights to name the the local baseball stadium, Chukchansi Park.