Seminoles threaten to drop out of school because of “false” claims about a vaccine lottery.

The Florida Bulldog says that two members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida say they were threatened with being kicked out of the tribe because they spoke out against the tribe’s vaccine lottery and made an offensive claim about the chairman’s son.

Seminole chair Osceola

Last month, cousins Laura and Leslie Billie expressed concerns about the “high stakes” lottery to Bulldog, a watchdog news site.

“The Shot of a Lifetime” draw encouraged tribal people to acquire COVID-19 vaccines. The Billies stated the organizers “misused” $3 million in federal lottery prize money and kept the winners’ names hidden.

Controversial Petition

Laura Billie also wrote a petition to recall Tribal Council Chairman Marcellus Osceola, which 285 tribal members signed. In it, she said that many members who were eligible and had been vaccinated were not put into the draw and got nothing from the fund.

Billie also said in the petition, which the tribal council said was not true, that “tribal members also know that the Chairman’s illegitimate son, who is a minor, was the million-dollar winner of the raffle.”

Last month, at a tribal council meeting, Osceola denied that he had done anything wrong. He said that the whole tribal council, not just himself, had decided to hold the lottery.

“People get sued for a lot less than what’s being said about my son,” he said.

The tribe later said in a statement that a computer picked the winners at random from a list of everyone who had been vaccinated. It also said that their names were not made public because health records have to be kept private.

Checks Every Month

The Billies’ honesty may cost them. The council banned the two from tribal administration buildings and schools for 60 days on December 13.

The Billies would lose their casino income and other privileges if the council expelled them from the tribe. Owning Hard Rock Casino makes the tribe wealthy. Members receive $10,500 monthly payouts.

“We have learned that you were in touch with an off-reservation media outlet that published inaccurate and unverified charges regarding the Seminole Tribe and its officials,” the council wrote to Laura Billie on December 6.

“The repercussions are substantial and might put the Seminole Tribe and its members at risk,” the report adds. “We’ll stop this. You cannot make misleading allegations to journalists outside the reservation. So govern.”