• Skip to main content
  • Skip to site footer
NIGC Logo

National Indian Gaming Commission

MENUMENU
  • HOME
  • Commission
        • About Us
          • History
          • Agency Strategic Goals
          • Contact Us
          • Organizational Structure
          • Strategic Plan
          • Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
          • Performance Dashboard
        • Commission Actions
          • Bulletins
          • Commission Final Decisions
          • Dear Tribal Letters
          • Enforcement Actions
          • NEPA Decision of Records
            • Categorical Exclusion Administrative
        • Commissioners
          • Speeches
          • Tribal Consultations
        • Past Commissioners
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Human Trafficking Resources
        • Office of Self-Regulation
        • Reports and Publications
  • Office of Chief of Staff
        • Compliance
          • Alternate Standards
          • Audit
          • Bulletins
          • Checklists and Worksheets
          • Regional Offices
        • Finance
          • Annual Commission Budgets
          • Annual Fees
          • Fingerprint Fees
          • Gross Gaming Revenue Reports
          • Management Contracts
        • Public Affairs
          • Biographies
          • Community Impact
          • Featured Articles
          • Legislative Affairs
          • Media Center
            • Seals and Graphics
            • Press Conferences & Transcripts
          • News Release
        • Technology
          • CJIS Resource Materials
          • Fingerprint Process
          • IT Vulnerability Assessment
          • Kiteworks Guide for External Users
          • Tech Alerts and Warnings
          • Tribal Access Portal
        • Training
          • Catalog of Courses
          • Environment, Public Health and Safety
          • Toolkits
          • Training Event Calendar
          • Video Library
  • Office of General Counsel
        • Compacts
        • Gaming Ordinances
        • Game Classification Opinions
        • Legal Opinions
          • Declination Letters
          • Indian Lands Opinions
          • Game Classification Opinions
        • NIGC Services Cheat Sheet
        • Laws and Regulations
          • Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
          • Commission Regulations
          • EPHS Interpretive Rule
          • DOI Gaming Regulations
          • Johnson Act
          • Gaming Criminal Laws and Penalties
          • National Environmental Policy Act
  • I want to…
    • Contact the nearest NIGC office
    • Submit electronic financial statements
    • View upcoming training & events
    • Find the Minimum Internal Control Standards
    • See agency decisions and actions
    • View NIGC’s Indian gaming regulations
    • Request a legal opinion
    • Report A Violation
MENUMENU
  • HOME
  • Commission
        • About Us
          • History
          • Agency Strategic Goals
          • Contact Us
          • Organizational Structure
          • Strategic Plan
          • Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey
          • Performance Dashboard
        • Commission Actions
          • Bulletins
          • Commission Final Decisions
          • Dear Tribal Letters
          • Enforcement Actions
          • NEPA Decision of Records
            • Categorical Exclusion Administrative
        • Commissioners
          • Speeches
          • Tribal Consultations
        • Past Commissioners
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Human Trafficking Resources
        • Office of Self-Regulation
        • Reports and Publications
  • Office of Chief of Staff
        • Compliance
          • Alternate Standards
          • Audit
          • Bulletins
          • Checklists and Worksheets
          • Regional Offices
        • Finance
          • Annual Commission Budgets
          • Annual Fees
          • Fingerprint Fees
          • Gross Gaming Revenue Reports
          • Management Contracts
        • Public Affairs
          • Biographies
          • Community Impact
          • Featured Articles
          • Legislative Affairs
          • Media Center
            • Seals and Graphics
            • Press Conferences & Transcripts
          • News Release
        • Technology
          • CJIS Resource Materials
          • Fingerprint Process
          • IT Vulnerability Assessment
          • Kiteworks Guide for External Users
          • Tech Alerts and Warnings
          • Tribal Access Portal
        • Training
          • Catalog of Courses
          • Environment, Public Health and Safety
          • Toolkits
          • Training Event Calendar
          • Video Library
  • Office of General Counsel
        • Compacts
        • Gaming Ordinances
        • Game Classification Opinions
        • Legal Opinions
          • Declination Letters
          • Indian Lands Opinions
          • Game Classification Opinions
        • NIGC Services Cheat Sheet
        • Laws and Regulations
          • Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
          • Commission Regulations
          • EPHS Interpretive Rule
          • DOI Gaming Regulations
          • Johnson Act
          • Gaming Criminal Laws and Penalties
          • National Environmental Policy Act
  • I want to…
    • Contact the nearest NIGC office
    • Submit electronic financial statements
    • View upcoming training & events
    • Find the Minimum Internal Control Standards
    • See agency decisions and actions
    • View NIGC’s Indian gaming regulations
    • Request a legal opinion
    • Report A Violation
Home › News › News Release › Notice of Settlement Agreement with St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

Notice of Settlement Agreement with St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin

August 26, 2020Category: News Release

For Immediate Release                                                    
Media Contact: Mavis Harris
(202) 632-7003

Notice of Settlement Agreement with St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin  

WASHINGTON, DC, Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – The National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer and the St. Croix Chippewa of Wisconsin have settled a Civil Fine Assessment entered against the Tribe for violations enumerated in NIGC Notice of Violation NOV-19-02.  Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the Tribe has conceded the violations listed in the NOV and has agreed to several measures designed to ensure that such misuses of gaming revenue will not reoccur. In exchange, Chairman Simermeyer has agreed to a reduced fine, with a suspension of a portion of it pending adherence to the terms of the Agreement.

NOV-19-02 was issued on April 11, 2019, and charged the Tribe with 527 violations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, NIGC Regulations, and the Tribe’s gaming ordinance specific to misuse of net gaming revenue by a number of tribal officials, including then Tribal Chairman Lewis Taylor, and Gaming Commission Chairman Jeff Taylor. The enumerated violations exposed a substantial breach of the trust placed in Tribal leadership by the St. Croix Chippewa Tribe. The misappropriation of this revenue by the named individuals deprived vital tribal programs and government operations of at least $1.5 million in needed revenue. As a result, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin received a civil fine of $5.5 million.

In the time since the NOV and CFA was issued, however, the Tribe elected new Tribal council representatives, including a new Tribal Chairman. In addition, those representatives have ensured that tribal employees named in the NOV are no longer involved in the gaming or have any control over the gaming revenue. The Tribe has also committed to numerous remedial measures, including: annual independent audits for use of revenues; eliminating ad hoc payments from the casino for tribal expenses; creating and administering annual ethics and use of revenues trainings; prohibiting named individuals from entering into a gaming related contract or gaming related employment with the Tribe; and pursuing repayment of the misused revenues from named individuals.

In light of the Tribe’s demonstrated commitment to reform and the hardships visited industry-wide by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chairman agreed to reduce the total fine to $4.5 million. Up to $3.5 million of the fine can be forgiven, provided the Tribe implements several remedial measures to prevent future revenue misuse and recapture misused revenue.

“IGRA created the NIGC to help protect against threats to Indian gaming. This includes threats to a tribe’s ability to generate the gaming revenue used to empower its community. The provisions agreed to in the settlement are positive and productive steps to improve the protections for the Tribe. These provisions aim to remediate the circumstances that gave rise to the violations outlined in the NOV,” Chairman Simermeyer said about the agreement. Simermeyer went on to say, “The NIGC team’s diligence in this matter demonstrates the Agency’s dedication to IGRA’s mandates.”

The Notice of Violation, Civil Fine Assessment, and Settlement Agreement can be found on the NIGC’s website.

###

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act created the National Indian Gaming Commission to support tribal self-sufficiency and the integrity of Indian gaming. NIGC oversees the efficient regulation of 527 gaming establishments operated by 247 tribes across 29 states.

Previous Post:NIGC NewsNIGC’S Dear Tribal Leader Letter regarding request for Gross Gaming Revenues for FY2019
Next Post:NIGC’s Dear Tribal Leader Letter regarding the budget development process and more scheduled itemsNIGC News
  • SUBSCRIBE

Enter your email address to subscribe to NIGC news and updates
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Choose a category for updates:
Loading

About Us

Contact Us

Employment Opportunities

Equal Employment Opportunity

No Fear Act

Privacy Act

Accessibility Statement

Freedom of Information Act

Report A Violation

Terms of Use

Web and Privacy Policy

Vulnerability Disclosure Policy

NIGC Logo in Black

National Indian Gaming Commission

Return to top

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 · All Rights Reserved by NIGC.gov