An attorney who was being paid nearly $150,000 a year by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is resigning as of February 8, The Cape Cod Times reports.

William McDermott has been called the "founding father" of the tribe by The Boston Globe. He reportedly wrote the tribe's constitution and helped the tribe banish some of its critics.

McDermott worked for the tribe as far back as 2005. He was paid with funds from investor Herb Strather, who has poured $15 million into the tribe.

Paula Peters, an elder who was banished, welcomed McDermott's resignation. "That man is responsible for the misdeeds because he encouraged them to do wrong," she told The Cape Cod Times. "He's responsible for the shunning and the manipulating of our constitution that took away people's rights."

Get the Story:
Mashpee Wampanoag tribe attorney to resign (The Cape Cod Times 1/9)
Tribal candidates have financial woes (The Cape Cod Times 1/8)

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