Head of Tribal Gaming Panel Resigns

The top casino regulator for the Chumash Indians of Santa Barbara County has resigned following the disclosure that he was convicted of a felony.

Gilbert Cash was sentenced in November to 60 days in county jail and five years’ probation after pleading no contest to beating and choking his estranged wife.

But he continued to serve as chairman of the Chumash gaming commission, even though state and federal laws prohibit anyone convicted of a felony from serving as a tribal gaming regulator.

As chairman, Cash oversaw $1 billion a year in wagers at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, one of the most profitable gambling enterprises in California.

According to an announcement on the Chumash website, Cash, 38, stepped down Thursday -- the same day that The Times reported his felony conviction.

The announcement said Chumash officials learned of the no-contest plea Jan. 7 and took “immediate and appropriate action” to ensure that the tribe was in compliance with its gambling compact with the state.

The announcement did not specify what action the tribe took or whether Cash resigned voluntarily. Nor did the tribe explain why its leaders did not become aware of the conviction until January.

“I have known Gilbert for some 25 years ... and I know that he is a man of integrity,” tribal chairman Vincent Armenta said in the announcement.

Cash did not respond Monday to a phone message seeking comment.

Investigators from the California attorney general’s office and the National Indian Gaming Commission conducted separate reviews of the Chumash Casino last year after The Times disclosed that at least seven current and former tribal regulators had backgrounds that included criminal convictions, financial difficulties and other problems.

The paper reported that Cash had filed for personal bankruptcy four times in the last decade, despite receiving as much as $30,000 a month in casino revenues -- the same allotment distributed to all tribal members.

State and federal authorities concluded in December that Cash and the other Chumash gaming commissioners were fit to serve. They reopened separate inquiries last week after learning of Cash’s conviction.

“We have expressed our disappointment that we had to learn about it from a newspaper reporter rather than from the tribe,” said Phil Hogen, chairman of the federal commission. “We’re going to try to improve communication and cooperation so we’re not the last to know.”