Easy to help... send email
Easy to help... send email
The historical record is undeniable, but agreeable government agencies have allowed this constructed entity to hijack public sentiment, taxpayer money, and ancestral lands. Public pressure is the only way to force bureaucratic accountability.
Take action today. No downloads are required. Simply copy the text from the template letters below, paste it into an email or document, add your name, and send it directly to the listed oversight agencies.
Who to send this to:
National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC)
Department of the Interior - Office of Inspector General (OIG)
Pacific Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
(Copy and paste the text below)
Subject: Formal Request for Investigation into Statutory Fraud by the "Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" (Sacramento-Verona Band)
To the Corresponding Director / Inspector General:
I am writing as a concerned citizen to formally request an investigation into ongoing statutory fraud, federal grant fraud, and violations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. § 2701) by the entity currently operating under the name "Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians."
The public record and federal archives clearly demonstrate that this group is a constructed entity—originally documented as the Sacramento-Verona Band—that has unlawfully hijacked the identity, sovereignty, and ancestral lands of the historic El Dorado County Treaty Tribe (the Wopumnes).
By knowingly using a stolen indigenous identity to apply for and receive federal grants, housing subsidies, and BIA trust services, this entity is in direct violation of the Federal False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733) and is making materially false statements to the federal government (18 U.S.C. § 1001). Furthermore, operating a commercial gaming enterprise on land acquired through documented bureaucratic fraud violates the core statutory intent of IGRA.
This fraud is a matter of public record. In the 2009 federal case Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians v. Cesar Caballero, Chairman Nicholas Fonseca submitted a sworn declaration admitting his group did not occupy the El Dorado County Rancheria until 1980. More recently, in 2025, the group’s leadership publicly admitted their actual origins are in the Feather River region (Sutter/Sacramento), not El Dorado County.
The federal government’s continued complicity in this administrative erasure forces local taxpayers to subsidize a fraudulent enterprise. I demand that your agency review the 1906 Kelsey Census, the 1915-1916 internal BIA objections to Agent John Terrell’s "colony" scheme, and the 2004 BIA Solicitor testimony confirming this group's lack of legitimate recognition. It is time to halt the diversion of federal resources and hold these hijackers accountable.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Contact Information]
Who to send this to:
California Attorney General
California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)
Director of Caltrans
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors
(Copy and paste the text below)
Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding CEQA Fraud, AB 52 Violations, and Consumer Deception by the "Shingle Springs Miwok"
To the Corresponding Director / Attorney General:
I am submitting a formal complaint requesting an immediate investigation into the regulatory fraud and consumer deception being perpetrated by the "Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" (historically the Sacramento-Verona Band).
This constructed entity has hijacked the identity of the historic El Dorado County Treaty Tribe. By doing so, they are actively exploiting California environmental and infrastructure laws. Under California Public Resources Code § 21074 (AB 52), agencies must consult with tribes culturally affiliated with a project's geographic area. Because this group has publicly admitted their origins are from the Feather River region (Sutter/Sacramento), their insertion as mandatory cultural monitors in El Dorado County is a direct violation of AB 52.
This regulatory manipulation acts as a "pay-to-play" loophole. By holding the title of a recognized tribal consultant, these hijackers are forcing developers and taxpayers to pay mitigation payouts, artificially inflating the cost of California public works and municipal development.
Furthermore, marketing a commercial casino using the stolen heritage of the authentic Wopumnes people violates the California False Advertising Law (Business and Professions Code § 17500). Consumers and casino patrons are being falsely led to believe their commerce supports historically marginalized local people, when it actually funds the entity that orchestrated their erasure.
I urge your office to review the historical record, recognize the profound financial burden this fraud places on California taxpayers, and immediately suspend this entity's status as a valid CEQA/AB 52 consulting party in El Dorado County.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Contact Information]