\nCOARSEGOLD \u2014 Patrons of Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino were abruptly ushered out of the casino in mid-game Thursday night by armed guards, and the casino and hotel were shut down.<\/p>\n
\tThe property was closed Friday morning after a chaotic night fueled by a feud between factions of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which owns the casino. The feud spilled over to the tribe\u2019s biggest asset Thursday night after one side said the other used force to try and retrieve key documents in the battle for tribal leadership.<\/p>\n
\tFriday morning, Madera County sheriff\u2019s spokesman Erica Stuart said someone cut power to the resort for a time Thursday night and employees went home. The Madera County Sheriff\u2019s Office found itself caught between the factions and angry customers. Stuart said about 500 patrons were at Chukchansi when the blackout hit, including 200 hotel guests. The guests could not get into their rooms and could not even get valets to retrieve their cars.<\/p>\n
\tStuart said Sheriff John Anderson and his deputies became the target of the customers’ frustrations. She said Anderson is calling for state and federal officials to straighten out the mess.<\/p>\n
\tAnderson stayed at the casino complex overnight acting as a mediator and sheriff\u2019s deputies were stationed inside the casino as peacekeepers, Stuart said.<\/p>\n
\tFriday morning, a group from the Tex McDonald tribal council was in the Chukchansi gaming commission office, said David Leibowitz, a spokesman for the McDonald council. Leibowitz said people affiliated with the Reggie Lewis\/Nancy Ayala faction, which has occupied the 11th floor of the casino since a takeover more than a month ago, were running the rest of the hotel and casino.<\/p>\n
\tDonn Hansler of Merced said he was playing Spanish 21 at a table about 7:45 p.m. Thursday when a security guard ordered the game shut down and the players to leave. Players were not allowed to cash in their chips or tickets, and even cashiers were locked out, he said.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThey threw us all out,\u201d he said. \u201cI ended up getting screwed out of my money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHansler and another patron who did not want to give her name said customers at the casino were milling about the parking lot, angry about the abrupt closure and the inability to retrieve their money.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cAll the workers have gone home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\tThe woman said there were various rumors floating around the crowd, including that the casino was closed by auditors, or that a gun was seen inside. (Early reports included that a fire alarm had precipitated the evacuation.) Casino staff wasn\u2019t providing answers, she said, and patrons were growing frustrated.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt\u2019s just crazy out here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\tRepresentatives of the factions offered accounts of what happened:<\/p>\n
\tAbout 7 p.m. Thursday, a group from the McDonald council, aided by its new police chief, John Oliveira, and his officers, entered the casino and went to the gaming commission office, said Monica Davis, the McDonald faction\u2019s vice-chairwoman.<\/p>\n
\tShe said the group had gone into the office in an attempt to find two years of missing audits that have led to the National Indian Gaming Commission\u2019s order threatening to close the casino. She said they swept the room for documents, but the audits were not among the documents they now possess.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe\u2019re trying to operate the casino and move forward with our audits because the rogue gaming commission hasn\u2019t turned in its audits,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\tThe \u201crogue\u201d commission she referred to is affiliated with the Lewis\/Ayala faction. They call themselves the \u201cunification council.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tRoger Salazar, spokesman for the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino who was hired by Lewis\u2019 group, said that about 10 to 15 people in three or four cars entered the casino about 6 p.m., pointed weapons at security staff and moved them to a conference room before going into the gaming office.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe McDonald commission tried to remove documents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\tHe said some casino security guards were hit with electronic stun guns.<\/p>\n
\tDavis, of the McDonald faction, said a member of their police force was hit with a stun gun.<\/p>\n
\tAs of 9:30 p.m., Salazar said, order had been restored and Sheriff Anderson, whose department set up a command post near the casino, was sorting out the situation.<\/p>\n
\tStuart said just before 11 p.m. that no arrests had been made, and there was no immediate word on injuries.<\/p>\n
\tAfter the casino shutdown, six or seven California Highway Patrol cruisers moved in blocking access to the casino on Lucky Lane at Highway 41, and troopers were waving traffic to stay on the highway. Two or three construction-type trucks were parked inside the blocked-off area, and construction workers were milling around.<\/p>\n
\tStuart said there was no word on when Lucky Lane would reopen.<\/p>\n
\tPockets of security guards were spread out throughout the hotel parking lot. By 9:30 p.m., only about 30 cars were left in the lot, with one or two leaving each minute.<\/p>\n
\tThe entrance to the hotel was blocked off by about a dozen sheriff\u2019s office and Cal Fire trucks. Guests were loading their cars with their luggage and leaving.<\/p>\n
\tThe casino serves as the financial center of the tribe\u2019s operations, funding monthly payments to tribe members, as well as housing, utility, tuition and clothing assistance.<\/p>\n
\tThe federal agency that oversees Indian gaming is threatening to shut down the Chukchansi casino because of missing audits, some of which were due last year.<\/p>\n
\tThe National Indian Gaming Commission says the casino could close Oct. 27 if the missing audits are not submitted. The tribe also faces fines of up to $100,000 per day dating back to April 30. If fully assessed, those fines would equal $16 million.<\/p>\n
\tIn a five-page letter dated Tuesday, the NIGC\u2019s acting chairman, Jonodev Chaudhuri, said that casino officials have not filed financial statements and audits dating back to 2012 and 2013, the earliest of which was due on April 30, 2013.<\/p>\n
\tAudits are required so that the government officials are assured that tribal gaming meets certain federal guidelines.<\/p>\n
\tGary Montana, a Wisconsin lawyer who represented the McDonald group until recently, said Thursday night\u2019s events will make the NIGC think more seriously about closing the casino.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhen you have this happen, there\u2019s a threat to public safety,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n