MVSKOKE RESERVATION – A leadership dispute at Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town (AQTT) is being taken to court over who has the sovereign authority to conduct official business with outside companies. AQTT and Sam Marshall filed a complaint, CV-2026-0173, against Kalshi Inc., Wilson Yargee, Michael Stopp, and Tarek Mansour on Friday, Oct. 30, in Muscogee (Creek) Nation District Court.
According to court records obtained by Mvskoke Media, the plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial, an attorney lien claim, and emergency relief. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Leadership Directory currently states that AQTT is in a leadership dispute between Marshall and Yargee.
The plaintiffs allege that Yargee is not AQTT’s rightful leader, but that he claimed to be AQTT’s Chief when he conducted business with Kalshi, a prediction market platform. Kalshi announced in a press release on Friday, Oct. 7, that AQTT would be launching its own prediction market platform, Pokketrades. The independent app will be powered by Kalshi and was set to launch in November 2026.
Plaintiffs claim that Yargee lacked the sovereign authority to approve the venture, and they seek to prevent PokkeTrades from launching.
AQTT filed a civil suit, CV 2021-0117 in 2022 in MCN District Court. That case was dismissed on April 20, 2022, citing lack of jurisdiction established by SC-2021-03, Thlopthlocco Tribal Town v. Nathan Anderson.
AQTT filed another suit, CJ-2024⊥-190, Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town v. First Nation Bank and Trust Co. and Wilson Yargee, in Okmulgee County District Court. That suit also claimed Yargee was not the rightful leader of AQTT, and that he was rightfully removed from office in 2021. Judge Pandee Ramirez (Mvskoke) presided over the case. The final order stated that Tribal law resolved the leadership dispute. The final order declared that Yargee be removed as signatory on all AQTT bank accounts and that Carol Taylor was the lawful custodian and signatory.
As previously reported by Mvskoke Media, the MCN joined an amicus brief in case No. 26-099, Flaherty and Davenport vs. KalshiEX LLC on Oct. 8, a day after Kalshi announced the partnership with AQTT. In this case, the state of New Jersey is challenging Kalshi’s sports contracts under the state’s gambling laws and college sports betting restrictions. Joining 145 other Tribes against Kalshi, the amicus brief argues that prediction market companies pose a threat to Indian self-governance and self-sufficiency.
Mvskoke Media will continue to provide coverage of this developing story.
