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Former Chukchansi GM indicted for theft PDF Print E-mail
Written by Business Journal staff   
Friday, 24 July 2009 14:52

chukchansiJeff Livingston, former general manager of Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, has been indicted on federal charges of using casino funds for personal items, including cars and a vacation.

The federal indictment, issued Thursday, alleges the incidents occurred in 2007. Around June 2007, it states he used a Chukchansi corporate credit card to put down payments on personal vehicles. Around May 2007, it alleges he used a credit card to purchase a personal vacation package to Hawaii.

If convicted of the charges, he faces 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Livingston was the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino general manager from 2005 until January 2008. He claimed he was fired from his job after getting into a dispute with tribal leaders, according to a Fresno Bee report.

Bruce King, the casino's former chief financial officer, was named interim general manager after Livingston’s departure. He was appointed to the permanent position in October 2008.

Agents from the state Bureau of Gambling Control, working with the FBI, arrested Livingston at his Fresno residence this morning on two federal counts of theft by an officer or employee of a gaming establishment on Indian lands. He was arraigned this afternoon in in Fresno in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District.

"Jeff Livingston willfully abused his trust as casino manager to conceal more than $30,000 in lavish purchases, including a Shelby Mustang and a Hawaiian vacation," said California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

The charges follow an investigation that began in February 2008. 
Last Updated on Friday, 24 July 2009 17:21