Posted on 07/16/2025 3:17:48 PM PDT by Twotone
A Native American tribe in California whose leaders aggressively back Democrat candidates has raked in millions of taxpayer dollars for needy families while operating a lucrative casino, a watchdog found.
The American Accountability Foundation released a report Tuesday, first shared with The Daily Wire, revealing that the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians has taken $28 million in federal grant funding since 1996 while operating one of the largest casinos in the country. The bulk of the money, roughly $27 million, has come since 2008, six years after the casino opened.
“The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians has been quietly raking in millions of taxpayer dollars for years — while openly attacking President Trump and conservative Americans,” American Accountability Foundation President Tom Jones told The Daily Wire, saying that the tribe should lose funding because of its partisan advocacy and lucrative casino revenue.
Tribal leaders, many of whom live in million-dollar homes, openly campaigned against President Donald Trump and for Democrat candidates like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. Chief Mark Macarro has given thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and has been pictured aboard Air Force One with former President Joe Biden, according to the report.
Other key tribal leaders also have a history of partisan advocacy, the American Accountability Foundation found.
Victor Rocha, Macarro’s cousin and an official with the Indian Gaming Association, has a history of donating to Democrats. On a Threads account appearing to belong to Rocha, he posted that it was “okay to punch Nazis and Heritage Foundation members in the face.”
Tribal council members Catalina Chacon and Joe Murphy, Tribal Treasurer Amy Minniear, and Tribal Secretary Nichole Sutter all have links to the Democratic Party.
Neither Macarro, Rocha, nor any of the tribal council members responded to a request for comment.
Chacon, Minniear, and Sutter have all given hundreds of dollars to Democratic candidates, while Murphy has urged voters to “Make America Deep Blue Again” and be a “climate voter.” Minniear has been pictured with Democratic Senators Alex Padilla and Mark Kelly. Chacon, Minniear, and Murphy all have or have owned million dollar homes, the American Accountability Foundation found.
Since 2008, the tribe — which has around 1,823 members — has taken over $13.4 million in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, around $6.9 million from the Environmental Protection Agency, $2.4 million from the Department of the Interior, $2.2 million from the Justice Department, and hundreds of thousands more from the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and others.
At the same time, the tribe operates a casino that generates an estimated $484.4 million in annual revenue. A 2012 CBS report found that members of the tribe made over $20,000 per month from casino revenue, while one ex-member put the number at around $30,000.
Since 2011, the tribe has received over $12 million through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant program, according to the American Accountability Foundation. In 2018, the tribe received over $900,000 in TANF funding, the same year the Pechanga Casino completed a $300,000 million expansion.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll the Perchanga tribe’s lavish lifestyles and radical views, especially when individual tribe members are raking in tens of thousands a month from casino profits. That’s not an ‘impoverished community,’ it’s a corrupt one,” Jones said. “Time to shut the spigot off and stop subsidizing them!”
In addition to TANF grants, the tribe was given $368,583 from the EPA in 2024 to purchase a new dump truck and water tanker to promote “clean air.” In another EPA grant from 2025, the tribe was given $100,000 under the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” to fund an ozone monitoring system.
In 2023, the tribe was given $185,000 “to develop or enhance climate action plans that establish near-term and long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals and develop strategies to address the highest priority sectors to help the tribe(s) or territory achieve those goals.”
Macarro, who the watchdog reports lives in a $3 million mansion in Temecula, has a long history of donating to Democratic candidates. In 2024, he contributed over $2,000 to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and has given thousands of other contributions to the campaigns of Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Al Franken.
“Vice President Harris has been a critical voice behind the Biden-Harris administration’s unprecedented accomplishments for tribal nations,” he said in a YouTube endorsement video. “As president, Kamala Harris will continue this progress. She respects our ideals of self-governance and self-determination.”
He met with Biden on Air Force One in December 2024, where he spoke to the president about granting clemency to Leonard Peltier, an American Indian radical activist convicted of murdering two FBI agents. In one of his final acts in office, Biden commuted the sentence of Peltier, allowing him to transition to home confinement from federal prison.
Maccarro has vocally opposed Trump, decrying cuts to American Indian boarding school research and Trump’s plan to shut down the Department of Education.
“Let us be clear: This is not just an administrative change — it’s an attack on the fundamental right of Native students to a quality education that reflects their identity, history, and sovereignty,” Macarro said. “The trust and treaty responsibilities of the United States are not optional. Dismantling the Department of Education is a betrayal to Native Nations and future generations.”
Macarro and his wife, Holly, a political strategist, were guests at a state dinner hosted by the Bidens at the White House in April 2024. Holly was also a vocal advocate for commuting Peltier’s sentence, and has been pictured with Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Our money has been the plaything of politicians for a very very long time.
Would love to know the amount that was kicked back to the Dems.
No mention in the article about whether they pay taxes on those casino earnings.
Could be wrong but I don’t believe they do.
Shouldn’t the money come from the DNC? And not from me? I’m trying to make a living here
Three Million Dollars for a Shack in Temecula ain’t what it Used To Be,
.
/$
.
Lot of Vineyards around there.
“...Chief Mark Macarro..”
I didn’t know the mafia infiltrated the tribes. It’s just a standard democrat money laundering racket like the teachers unions.
“”it’s an attack on the fundamental right of Native students to a quality education that reflects their identity, history, and sovereignty””
Well, then they better start their own education system because we don’t cater to selective identities, history etc...
What kind of casinos do these “unheard” of people run? I lived in CA for 50 years - both northern and southern CA and never heard of that tribe. When we wanted to gamble we went to Tahoe or Reno or Las Vegas...The kind of gambling allowed in CA is not what Nevada has..the kind allowed in CA is very specific and also what is NOT allowed.
WHY on earth would this fleecing of the US taxpayers be happening and no one aware of it?
The below would appear to be their out!!! If not for that qualifier at the end, this resort would not be allowed to operate in CA.
~~has been recognized as a sovereign government, allowing them to conduct gaming activities on their lands~~
“”The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians operates the Pechanga Casino, which is a significant gambling destination in Southern California. The casino features over 4,000 slot machines and more than 150 table games, providing a luxurious gaming experience for visitors1. The casino is owned and operated by the tribe, with all profits reinvested into the community, allowing the tribe to maintain self-sufficiency and preserve their culture1. Additionally, the Pechanga Band has a long history of governance and has been recognized as a sovereign government, allowing them to conduct gaming activities on their lands2.””
So they steal from us with the slots while raking in taxpayer money too!
When the government gets to determine who is and who isn’t a tribe, you know it was bound to get corrupted.
Fixed
I never heard of these cigar store indians.
Was operating casinos part of the tribe’s way of life before 1492?
All I know is what I read on Wiki...never heard any of those names...All GREEK to me.
That will buy a lot of firewater.
With that kind of money, they can smoke Fuente Opus Xs.
With all the taxpaying freebies that enrolled Native Americaan tribes received and they still even more? Time for an overhaul.
I have visited several Indian casinos...I only visited Pechenga Casino one time...It is near 15 Freeway in Riverside County...Before San Diego County line...
Indian casinos offer same things as Vegas casinos...Slot games and card games...I usually play penny machines...
There are casinos in Los Angeles County...But, they are not allowed to operate slot machines...They could only operate card tables...Those casinos are not owned by Indian tribes...That is CA state law...
That must be one mighty fine casino. I can't even count that high.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.