Poker Writer
A former Muscogee Nation accountant who stole nearly $25 million from the Tribe was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Thirty-six-year-old Michael Anthony Houser siphoned money away from the Tribe’s gaming arm into casino accounts in Las Vegas, among other expenditures. He then used some of those funds to live like a VIP gambler in Vegas.
Houser began the fraud in 2016 when he was the accounts payable manager. He created bogus invoices, using real vendors who had previously worked with the Muscogee Nation but had stopped doing so. He approved the invoices using his own authority and fabricated fake paperwork from his superiors when questioned.
The former accountant also lied on his IRS returns for years between 2016 and 2022 and never reported the millions in illegal income. In 2022 alone, he accumulated $7.8 million.
The IRS criminal investigating special officer Christopher Altemus talked about how serious the crimes were:
Stealing from the community you are entrusted to serve is a serious betrayal. Mr. Houser’s crimes harmed the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and undermined trust in public and tribal institutions. By stealing from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and falsifying his tax return, Mr. Houser not only defrauded his employer but also the American public. The women and men of IRS-CI are proud to have worked alongside the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma to uncover this fraud and hold Mr. Houser accountable for his crimes.
The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native will serve a 70-month sentence concurrently with a 36-month sentence. He was also ordered to pay more $17 million in restitution to the Muscogee Nation and more than $8 million to the IRS.
Escapades in Vegas
Houser used the embezzled funds for luxury goods, private school tuition, and vehicles. He gambled in Vegas about once a month and received numerous high-end perks for being a high-dollar gambler.
The court fillings noted that he had purchased at least one Rolex as well as Louis Vuitton merchandise.
