A former general manager of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon to federal charges that he used a corporate credit card to steal from the casino.

Jeff Livingston, 49, who was indicted this week by a federal grand jury on felony charges of theft by officers or employees of gaming establishments on Indian lands, was arrested Friday morning at his Fresno home. After entering a plea, Livingston was released on his own recognizance.

The six-page indictment claims that in June and July 2007, Livingston -- a former deputy sheriff in Broward County, Fla., who was named the casino's general manager in 2005 -- used a Chukchansi corporate credit card for down payments on personal vehicles. A second count alleges that he used the corporate card to pay for a Hawaiian vacation package in May 2007.

Attorney General Jerry Brown's office said later Friday that a joint investigation conducted by the state Bureau of Gambling Control and the FBI found that Livingston's unauthorized purchases included a $20,000 down payment on a new Ford Mustang Shelby, a $5,000 down payment on a new Ford Fusion for the casino's former vice president of marketing; and a $7,000 PGA National Golf Championship package in Maui, Hawaii.

Brown's office said Livingston attempted to conceal the down payments by making it appear as if they were part of a 10-car purchase he made for a casino giveaway.

"Jeff Livingston willfully abused his trust as casino general manager by racking up $30,000 worth of purchases on a corporate credit card, including a Shelby Mustang and a Hawaiian golf vacation," Brown said in an e-mail.

Reached by phone late Friday, Livingston declined to comment.

The tribe's resort is off Highway 41 just south of Coarsegold.

Casino and tribal spokeswoman Chanel Wright said the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Tribal Gaming Commission -- a commission operated by the tribe -- hired a private investigator in 2007 to look into allegations of embezzlement against Livingston.

The results of the investigation were then turned over to the Department of Justice.

Wright said Livingston resigned in January 2008 and was replaced by Bruce King, who is still the casino's general manager.

A month after Livingston left, the state Bureau of Gambling Control launched an investigation. The FBI later joined the investigation because the matter involved an employee of an Indian casino.

"We take very seriously any wrongdoing on the part of our employees," Wright said. "We will continue to work with the authorities so that justice is served."

Dressed in a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt -- in sharp contrast to others who were in red Fresno County Jail jumpsuits -- Livingston made a brief appearance Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Fresno.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Austin set a hearing for Aug. 7 before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill.

If convicted, Livingston faces up to 20 years in federal prison and $1 million in fines.

The FBI had no comment on the indictment, said Special Agent John Cauthen, the agency's media coordinator in Sacramento.

Bee staff writers Marc Benjamin and Chris Collins contributed to this report. The reporter can be reached at jellis@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6320.