Several former officials of the Quapaw Nation are accused of taking unauthorized bonuses worth millions of dollars belonging to the Saracen Casino and Q store in Pine Bluff.
Quapaw Nation authorities have charged Jack Brill, 54, an attorney in Missouri who was the former attorney for Downstream Development with arranging payments of $2.33 million to former officials including former Chairman John Berrey and himself.
Berrey and Tamara Reeves were charged criminally and civilly in Quapaw Nation Tribal Court with multiple allegations of financial wrongdoing including embezzlement, conspiracy abuse of office and official unlawful actions. They have pleaded not guilty.
Alleged improper payments from the Saracen Casino and Q store included $ $256,349 to Brill between Nov. 1, 2019 and Dec. 3, 2019; $1 million to Merlin “Kent” Jones between Dec. 1, 2019 and May 1, 2020; $1.5 million to Berrey between Dec. 31, 2019 and May 1, 2020; $513,000 to Brill between March 6, 2020 and July 2, 2020; $189,525 to Berrey on July 27, 2020; $128,500 to Brill on July 27, 2020; $72,631 and $104,596 to Tamara Reeves and $100,1111 to Jones, on July 27, 2020.
