Ex-Muscogee Casino Bean Counter Bilked Tribal Gaming Arm for $25M

• Houser stole nearly $25M from Muscogee Nation gaming operations.
• Prosecutors say he funneled funds through Las Vegas casino accounts.
• Sentenced to almost six years; millions still owed in restitution.

A former accountant for Oklahoma’s Muscogee (Creek) Nation who stole almost $25 million from the tribe’s gaming arm has been sentenced to almost six years in a federal prison.

Michael Anthony Houser, 36, of Broken Arrow, Okla., siphoned the money over seven years into casino accounts in Las Vegas, where he lived the life of a high-rolling VIP gambler, according to prosecutors.

The tribe’s Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises (MNGE) operates multiple casino properties across eastern Oklahoma, including its flagship River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, which draws roughly 10K guests daily. MNGE is one of the largest tribal operators in the U.S.

Bogus Invoices

The company hired Houser as an accountant in 2011, but the fraud really began in July 2016, after he was promoted to accounts payable manager. According to court filings, he identified a legitimate vendor whose work for the Nation had ended but whose profile remained active in the accounting system.

Sometimes he approved the invoices using his own administrative authority and, when questioned, produced fabricated paperwork that included a copied signature from his supervisor, according to court documents.

High Roller

Houser gambled the money hard in Las Vegas, but also splurged on luxury goods, private school tuition, vehicles including a 2024 Lexus and 2022 Cadillac, a high-end boat, and investment and savings accounts, prosecutors said.

Approximately once a month, the defendant would then travel to the casinos in Las Vegas where he gambled extensively… and enjoyed countless amenities and perks at the casinos, due to his status as a high-dollar gambler,” they wrote in court filings.

“The defendant also utilized the embezzled funds to make lavish purchases from the casino stores, such as at least one Rolex watch and Louie Vutton [sic] merchandise,” according to the filings.

Houser also lied on his tax returns, according to the IRS. Between 2016 and 2022, he failed to report millions in illegal income, including more than $7.8 million in 2022 alone, which left the Treasury short by $8,205,834, according to IRS Criminal Investigation.

By the time of sentencing, Houser had surrendered more than $7.5 million in cash, casino credits, and forfeited assets that were traced to the embezzlement, according to the sentencing memorandum. But even after those payments, the Nation remains $17 million in the hole.