MUSKOGEE – Former MNGE employee Michael Anthony Houser was taken into the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Nov. 10.
Houser, a former manager who worked for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Gaming Operations Authority Board, which later became known as Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises (MNGE), was sentenced for embezzlement and tax fraud, according to a press release sent out by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Eastern District of Oklahoma.
Houser, age 36, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for one count of Tax Fraud, and 70 months in prison for one count of Theft Concerning Programs Received Federal Funds. He will serve those sentences concurrently, meaning that he will serve just under 6 years in prison. In addition, he will be ordered to pay $17,337,949.50 in restitution to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and $8,205,834.00 to the I.R.S. for his crimes, totalling roughly $25.5 million in total restitutions.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to pursuing and prosecuting those who defraud Tribal nations in the Eastern District of Oklahoma,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “In this case, we were honored to join together with our partners in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and federal law enforcement to promote the mutual protection of Tribal assets and resources.”
Houser had previously pleaded guilty to the crimes he was accused of in Feb. of 2025, and he is reportedly not eligible for parole.
“Stealing from the community you are entrusted to serve is a serious betrayal,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. Altemus Jr. of the IRS Criminal Investigation Dallas Field Office. “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.”
According to investigators, Houser had embezzled $24.9 million of federal funds from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation during his time working as a Casino Accounts Payable Manager for what is now Muscogee Nation Gaming Enterprises from 2016 to 2024. In addition, fraudulent tax filings made by Houser reportedly cost the U.S. Department of Treasury around $8.2 million, which were obtained via Houser’s embezzlement scheme.
