The Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts says the owner of a deli on the reservation owes money after abruptly closing up shop earlier this month.

The tribe leased land to Paul Garcia, the owner of Garcia's Deli, since 2002. The tribe charged him rent, plus a percentage of gross profits.

Garcia said he closed his business because the tribe raised his rent and demanded a higher share of the proceeds. But the tribe's attorney denied the charges and said Garcia agreed to new terms in 2007.

"Mr. Garcia's assertions about the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and his lease are ugly, derogatory and just plain false," Douglas Luckerman said in a press release provided to The Martha's Vineyard Times. He said Garcia owes "tens of thousands of dollars" to the tribe.

Luckerman said the tribe will look for a new business to lease the property.

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Garcia's Deli broke deal, tribe says (The Martha's Vineyard Times 11/25)