ARGENTINACASINO INFO

Tribe Sues Abramoff, Reed Over Casino

The Alabama-Coushatta tribe has sued former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Republican activist Ralph Reed Wednesday, on the charge that their lobbying effort has unfairly caused the tribe its casino.

The lawsuit could be potentially damaging for Reed, who is seeking a lieutenant governor post in Georgia. Reed has been trying to distance himself from the Abramoff lobbying scandal.

Reed, a Republican activist, has worked with Abramoff to block casinos in Texas that would have competed with Abramoff's client in Louisiana, according to documents that were made public by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

The lawsuit by the Alabama-Coushatta tribe filed in Texas state court, states that the duo's lobbying effort led to the closure of the tribe's casino nine months after its opening in November of 2001. It has likewise blocked legislative fixes that would have permitted the said casino to continue operations.

The lawsuit claims that Reed was behind the mobilization of religious groups to oppose the casino, but hid the fact that the move was financed by the Louisiana-Coushatta tribe, Abramoff's client.

"Had the Alabama-Coushatta tribe or the public been aware that the Louisiana-Coushatta Tribe was behind the efforts, the Christians would have been less mobilized and the opposition efforts less effective," the lawsuit says.

The disgraced Abramoff has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and is currently cooperating with U.S. investigators in a corruption probe.