Second Circuit Briefs in US v. Thomas (Former Mashantucket Pequot Chair)

Here:

Thomas Opening Brief

US Brief

Thomas Reply Brief TK

Lower court materials here.

AmLawDaily Coverage of Foxwoods Restructuring Deal

Here.

An excerpt:

Though Yoon won’t say if Weil is handling other Indian casino matters, there is likely be more such work for some work to snap up in the not-too-distant future. Moody’s downgraded its ratings on several Indian-owned casino bonds earlier this year, issuing a “probability of default” rating on $200 million worth of notes tied to a Sacramento  casino operated by the Buena Vista band of the Me-Wuk Indian tribe and a similar warning on $300 million in notes connected to a Washington State casino operated by the Snoqualmie Tribe.

Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Gambling Addict’s Suit against Foxwoods

Here is the order in Tassone v. Foxwoods Resort Casino:

CA2 Summary Order

Briefs are here.

Lower court materials here.

Michael and Steven Thomas Indictments

Here:

Michael Thomas Indictment

Steven Thomas Indictment

News coverage here.

Our prior post here.

Second Circuit Briefs in Gambling Addict’s Suit against Foxwoods

Here are the briefs in Tassone v. Foxwoods Resort Casino:

Tassone Brief

Foxwoods Brief

Mashantucket Pequot Refinancing Information

Here:

MPN Bondholder Presentation Aug 2012

MPN Bondholder Presentation Sept 2012

News coverage here.

MPN press release here.

NYTs on the Shakopee Mdewakanton and the Growing Threat to Indian Gaming

Here.

Gambling Addict’s State Law Claims against Foxwoods Dismissed

Here are the materials in Tassone v. Foxwoods Resort Casino (D. Conn.):

DCT Order Dismissing Tassone Complaint

Foxwoods Motion to Dismiss

Tassone Response

Foxwoods Reply

News Coverage of FBI Investigation of Former Pequot Leaders

Here, via Pechanga.

And here are the bankruptcy petitions of Michael and Steven Thomas (Steven’s failed):

Michael J. Thomas Bkrcy Petition

Steven J. Thomas Bkrcy Petition

NYTs: Wither Foxwoods?

Here is the article (h/t Pechanga).

An excerpt:

In the early 1970s, just one resident remained on a Pequot reservation in Ledyard, now the site of Foxwoods — an elderly woman named Elizabeth George. Her grandson was Richard Hayward (known as Skip), a pipe welder and a former short-order cook with an audacious vision, innate political skills and a flair for dealmaking. Through his efforts, the tribe won federal recognition in 1983. In 1986, it opened a high-stakes bingo hall. Full-blown casino gambling came to Foxwoods in 1992 and in the two decades since has produced not millions but billions of dollars of revenue. Not surprisingly, the casino and its largess rejuvenated the tribe, whose population is now about 900. (Members trace their bloodlines to 11 Pequot families counted in a 1900 census.)

These days the tribe is dealing with the latest improbability in its turbulent history: financial havoc. The casino is underwater, like a five-bedroom Spanish colonial in a Nevada subdivision. The Pequots misjudged the market, borrowed too much and expanded unwisely. Foxwoods’s debt is on a scale befitting the size of the property — $2.3 billion.