A Bradford County man is disputing a claim by the Mohegan Indian Tribe in Connecticut that he owes a casino run by the tribe over $100,000.
In 2021, the Mohegan Gaming Authority obtained a $114,976 judgment against Michael Ricks, with a Connecticut court ordering Ricks to pay the tribe $50 a week to settle the debt.
In February 2023, a lawyer for the tribe recorded the debt as a foreign judgment in Bradford County. However, Ricks told a judge that he was never properly served in the Connecticut lawsuit and didn’t get a trial involving the alleged debt. Ricks further claimed that gambling debts are not collectible in Florida because gambling is illegal in the Sunshine State.
Judge George Wright denied Rick’s request to dismiss the debt. However, the judge did allow the man’s claim that he was not properly served in Connecticut to remain.
