An Osage congressman is criticizing the former CEO of Osage Casino for his alleged role in mismanaging nearly half a million dollars from the Osage people.
Tuesday kicked off the start of a three-day hearing by the Osage Congress committee for Commerce, Gaming, and Land to investigate the gaming enterprise board employee expense policies and the approval of expenses of the casino executive officers.
"I think what this represents is about multiple failures on multiple levels," said Osage Congressman Eli Potts.
Potts said he spent the better part of Tuesday morning and afternoon watching online as committee members asked questions to several witnesses who showed up to testify.
Potts said it wasn't an easy hearing to pull off with the Osage Congress seeing some resistance in getting over 1,500 pages worth of expense reports to review.
"It's 1,556 pages," said Potts. "We got a lot of problems."
Potts said the Osage Nation Attorney General eventually issued an opinion that the Osage Nation Congress was allowed to review the finances of the Nation's businesses, including expense reports and credit card statements of casino executives.
The reports in question, Potts said, belong to former Osage Casinos CEO Byron Bighorse, and detail transactions between 2019 and 2021 that Potts says raised some red flags.
To fully understand the scope of the allegations being made, Potts provided a list to NewsChannel 8 of some of the most questionable transactions that we've listed below:
- Wynn Hotel Las Vegas Nutri Drip IV: The Chief’s Executive Advisor, Sheryl Decker, and a Casino employee, on a trip to the National Indian Gaming Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas (also paid for per the expense reports), obtained services from Nutri Drip for a total of $649.75. The treatment included“Toradol”, a prescription strength pain reliever that must be administered by a medical professional, per the company’s website. References: p.1007
- Patriot Club Expenses: The Gaming CEO joined the Patriot Golf Club in June of 2017. In April of 2019, the Gaming Enterprise reimbursed the Gaming CEO a total of $39,121.21 for all Patriot Club expenses that had been incurred. Including the $12,000 initiation fee, “Kids Club Meal Programs”, Maui Jim glasses - $357.08, Kid’s golf lessons, “clubs for Jennifer”- $1,488.62, lululemon women’s clothing, golf clubs for children, 2 Junior Camp Fees, special order women’s golf shoes- $478.50, etc. Accompanying the reimbursement expense is a note that reads, “No record of official board action”- p.1200. In September of 2021, the Gaming CEO paid back $ 5,222.99 of these "business expenses”, about the time Congress members asked the Attorney General about our ability to review such documents, but 29 months AFTER receiving reimbursement from the casino. References: p.1200-1209, p.395, p.405, p.423, p.457, p.460, p.464, p.474, and various pages 379-511
- Custom Brass Coins from/for Board Member: Board Member Mark Simms is reflected as ordering 50 “custom antique brass coins” from a designer in Bartlesville totaling of $2,224.25. This is a purchase by a board member or for a board member, reimbursed casino executive. No record of board action was submitted. References: p.22-23,34
- Mother’s Day Brunch: The Gaming CEO expensed a “Mother’s Day Brunch” for 4 guests on 5/9/2021 at the Tulsa Summit Club. Alcohol Consumption: approximately 30 drinks totaling: $552.19. References: p.68
- Social Fundraising - Where’s Rosie? Gaming CEO and spouse attended the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium’s 2021 Aviator Balloon on May 22, 2021, at the Casino’s expense with two friends as announced on social media. Two live auction items were expensed to the Casino: A Planetarium Party for 40 guests ($600), a 34” tall “Rosie the Riveter Statue” ($500), and another silent auction item for $100. Total: $1,200. There is no record of how those items were or have been utilized.
- The Summit Club: 7/13/2021 & 7/29/2021 These two nights cost the Osage people $6,603.49. $3,462 of the $6,603.49 was for alcohol including: 4 drinks of Macallan 30-year-old scotch for $1,860; $465 a drink. The social media posts from that same evening reflect the attendance zone, Mark Larson. A person by this same name is listed on Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear’s campaign and reports $10,000 dollar contributor to his reelection campaign. References: p.132-133, Social Media posts,
- Tulsa Country Club, 8/29/2021 Total Charged:$1,178.20. The $626.60 dinner for 37 guests was later requested to be paid for by the Gaming CEO. Context: Reported to be a back-to-school swimming party at which a Casino Employee is suspected to have used a racial slur that resulted in Tulsa Country Club Membership being canceled. References: p.585-588
- Private Planes Records show that Chief Standing Bear and his Assistant, Byron Bighorse and his Assistant, and Jennifer Bighorse, were all registered by the Gaming Enterprise for the National Indian Gaming Association conference that was held 7/19/2021-7/21/2021 in Las Vegas, NV. Documents reflect Bighorse’s Assistant later booked flights on American Airlines for three Passengers, including trip insurance. It is unknown how Chief Standing Bear and Ms. Decker traveled to the conference. However, there are additional private flight expenses detailed during that time which include, 7/19/2021: Atlantic Aviation- $2,188.27; 7/20/2021: TulsAir Beechcraft- $1,526.40; 7/21/2021: TulsAir Beechcraft- $144.00; 7/22/2021: Atlantic Aviation- $2,097.51; 7/22/2021: TulsAir Beechcraft- $1,337.60 [*This is the same trip in which Ms. Stumpff and Ms. Decker utilized services at NutriDrip IV for treatments, which is detailed in #1 of this document. References: p.70-77, p.84-122 (nearly illegible)]
- Parking Ticket: CEO Byron Bighorse used Casino funds to pay for a parking citation. The Gaming Board approved this payment. References: P.169
- Dining Charged with CEO/Business Clients Absent: The report is Rife With Unexplained dining charged to the CEO’s accounts. There are missing receipts, or signatures that are questionably not that of the account holder/member. An employee notes an expense report is being submitted with missing receipts, and the response is lacking in concern- “If they're lost(because sometimes they DO get lost) just reply that they are lost and use the mail as the attachment.”
The purchases Bighorse is accused of making, are well documented in the expense reports, adding up to nearly half a million dollars.
Those reports were declassified, in part, thanks to Potts. November 22 of last year, Potts said he made a motion to “reclassify the Osage Nation Gaming Commission report to the Osage Nation Congress dated Sept. 21, 2022, and all supporting documents submitted with the report as public information in accordance with Osage law."
Congress voted to allow the Osage public to view this report.
Since then Potts said he's seen outrage and anger from some Osage community members, wondering how something like it was allowed to happen.
"They want answers for where this money went," said Potts. "Why it was allowed to be spent? Who approved it? How long it's been occurring? And I believe they deserve answers to every single one of those questions."
Committee members hoped to get some of those answers from witnesses Tuesday.
"I'm doing what my bosses are telling me to do," said Bighorse's former Executive Assistant, Kasi Stumpff, when asked if she was aware of what Bighorse was accused of doing. "So, therefore I'm not aware of every single detail and every single policy."
Committee members later asked the new CEO of Osage Casinos, Kimberly Pearson, if Stumpff had since been made aware of what an allowable CEO expense was.
"She has been updated on policies and procedures," said Pearson.
Committee members said neither Bighorse nor his wife will be testifying as part of the hearing, after failing to secure a subpoena to force them to do so.
The Osage Nation Attorney General has also not charged Bighorse, his wife, or anyone else in relation to what he's accused of. NewsChannel 8 is hoping to learn if or when that is expected to happen, and if not, why.
This is a developing story, stay with NewsChannel 8 for updates.