MUSKOGEE, Okla. – A federal jury needed less than six hours to convict a former Choctaw Nation official accused of accepting cash and gifts from vendors in exchange for contracts.
Jason Merida was convicted late Thursday night in the Eastern District of Oklahoma on two counts each of theft and tax fraud and one count each of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bribery.
He was found not guilty of an additional charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The charges stem from false billing practices used by contractors from three companies between 2008 and 2011 while construction efforts were underway at the tribe’s casinos in Durant and Pocola. Funds generated by the overcharging and false billings were used to make large campaign donations and purchase lavish gifts.
The jury received the case just before 6 p.m. Thursday night and handed down its verdict shortly after 11 p.m. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled and Merida is out until then.
While testifying on his own defense Wednesday, Merida confirmed that he did receive gifts and cash from several vendors, including Tulsa-based Builders Steel, Flintco and Scott Rice, but argued that the largesse did not impact his decision making, in part because he did not have the authority to select contractors on behalf of the tribe. Among the gifts he received and failed to declare on his tax returns included hunting trips to New Mexico and Missouri, $20,000 in cash, more than $40,000 in Kohler home fixtures, a 2009 Cadillac Escalade, a golf weekend at Pebble Beach, Calif., and two Kawasaki Mule all terrain vehicles.
In closing arguments, Merida’s attorneys repeatedly reiterated that the tribe’s former chief, Greg Pyle, and current chief, Gary Batton, had the real authority and only promoted Merida to the head of the tribe’s construction department because of his ability to fundraise and cultivate relationships with contractors - allegations that both men refuted in their testimony.
In a statement released Friday morning, the Choctaw Nation announced its plans to develop and implement campaign finance guidelines in response to Thursday night’s verdict. Currently, candidates for chief or any other elected position within the tribe are not required to disclose who their campaign donors are or amounts received.
The tribe also announced its plans to strengthen its policies regarding gifts to high-ranking officials. As per a February 2012 law, executive directors, the assistant chief and principal chief are required under threat of perjury to disclose gifts worth more than $250 that were received while in their official capacity, as well as any business transactions made involving family members. Based on testimony and evidence offered during the trial, the policy was implemented more than three years after Merida started receiving gifts from vendors.
