Casino Defendants Not Ready to Fold Yet

One of the defendants accused of illegally running the Three Feathers Casino is seeking the remove the presiding judge, while two others are seeking a 30-day postponement.

Thomas Angus Square moved for Judge Thomas J. McAvoy to recuse himself on the grounds that he cannot preside impartially. He claims McAvoy has no jurisdiction over him, further accusing him of being in a “good-ole-boys club.” Square is additionally seeking immediate release from custody and outright dismissal of all charges against him.

He, along with William Roger Jock, Anthony Laughing Sr. and James Gray, all of Akwesasne, and Joseph Hight of Atlanta are all accused by the federal government of conducting a non-tribal gambling enterprise and unlawfully possessing gambling devices on Indian territory. They were also accused in a state indictment with stealing at least $200,000 worth of electricity from National Grid.

Lawyers for Jock and Hight are requesting a 30-day postponement in light of discovery materials recently provided by prosecutors. They say they need time to go over them and prepare an adequate defense.

The Three Feathers Casino opened in July 2011, but not without resistance. The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe ordered it closed several months later. It shuttered its doors in September 2012 and was raided by federal and state authorities three months later, which resulted in the arrests of Jock, Square, Hight, Gray, and Laughing Sr.

Their trial was supposed to begin February 11 of this year, but it has been postponed three times.

Jock’s attorney, Brian Barrett of Lake Placid, did not immediately return a request for comment.