Free Republic

WASHINGTON - A Texas Indian tribe filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging that ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and their associates engaged in fraud and racketeering to shut down the tribe's casino. The Alabama-Coushatta tribe of Livingston, Texas, alleged the defendants defrauded the tribe, the people of Texas and the Legislature to benefit another of Abramoff's clients — the Louisiana Coushatta tribe — and "line their pockets with money." "Ultimately, the defendants' greed and corruption led to the Alabama-Coushatta tribe permanently shutting its casino. The funding for economic programs evaporated, over 300 jobs were lost in...

<p>KINDER - Thanks to a steady flow of casino cash, the Coushatta Indian tribe has enough money to give each tribal member - including children -- about $40,000 a year.</p> <p>But the tribe is now going through financial turmoil, some members say. Tribal-owned, non-casino businesses have lost millions of dollars in total, and some tribe officials are upset about the expenditure of millions of dollars by other tribe leaders.</p>