TRIBAL JUSTICE NEWS
AUGUST 2011

August 10, 2011

Man Indicted for Assault and Witness Tampering on Indian Reservation (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan)

Travis Jay Kendall, 24, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Bay City, Mich., for assault causing serious bodily injury and witness tampering. The indictment charges that Kendall assaulted his girlfriend on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation in Isabella County, Mich. The indictment also charges that Kendall attempted to intimidate, threaten, or corruptly persuade the victim with the intent to influence her testimony at a grand jury proceeding.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mie/news/2011/2011_8_10_tkendall.html

Aldin Ray Two Moons, Sr. Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

Aldin Ray Two Moons, Sr., 37, a resident of Lame Deer, Mont., was sentenced in Billings, Mont., in connection with his guilty plea to domestic assault by a habitual offender. On Aug. 28, 2010, a female individual reported to law enforcement that she had been physically assaulted by her common law husband, Two Moons. Two Moons has had ten tribal arrests for domestic abuse, with four of those resulting in convictions.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/

Navajo Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Federal Manslaughter Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

Lolando Nez, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and a resident of Vanderwagen, N.M., was sentenced to a 109-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his voluntary manslaughter conviction. Nez also was ordered to pay $11,937.74 in restitution to cover the costs of the victim’s funeral and medical expenses. U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Nez was charged with killing Ethan Wemytewa, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, during a physical altercation on the Navajo Indian Reservation on May 2, 2010.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/index.html

August 9, 2011

Informational: Federal Court Arraignment (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

Charles Spotted Elk-Booth, a resident of Lame Deer, Mont., was arrested on a charge of attempted aggravated sexual abuse. If convicted, Spotted Elk-Booth faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/

Duane Dale Big Eagle Found Guilty in U.S. Federal Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

Duane Dale Big Eagle, 61, Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Chairman and a resident of Fort Thompson, S.D., was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery of a tribal official and bribery involving an agent of an Indian tribal organization. Evidence showed that Big Eagle was part of a conspiracy to accept bribes in return for awarding tribal no bid contracts to Kutz Construction to build a new dorm and kitchen facility and other work at the Tribal School following a fire in April 2005. Big Eagle received approximately $16,000 from Kutz Construction, via Scott Raue, Superintendent of the Tribal School, with the intent to be influenced to grant work and approve payments.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/

Couple Plead Guilty to Federal Charges (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that Carl and Barbara Walking Eagle, of Fort Totten, N.D., changed their pleas before U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Erickson on charges of theft from an Indian Tribal organization. Carl Walking Eagle, 69, a former officer of the Spirt Lake Tribe, pleaded guilty to the charges of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization. Walking Eagle’s spouse, Barbara Walking Eagle, 64, a former librarian at the community college in Fort Totten, N.D., pleaded nolo contendre to charges of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization and false statements. The Walking Eagles admitted to giving false information to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, in order to receive fuel assistance by failing to disclose their actual household income.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2011/08-09-11-WalkingEagles%20Plead%20Guilty.html

Eugene Eckert Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

Eugene Eckert, 48, and a resident of Polson, Mont., was sentenced in Great Falls, Mont., before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon in connection with his guilty plea to abusive sexual contact of a child. In 2005, 9-year-old girl disclosed to a psychologist that she had been sexually molested by Eckert on numerous occasions from approximately the ages of four to eight-years-old while living on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/20110809111525.html

August 5, 2011

Timber Lake Man Sentenced for False Statements to a Federal Agency Timberlake Man Sentenced for False Statements to a Federal Agency (FBI / U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Roy Veit, 22, was sentenced to one month in custody, one year of supervised release, $16,844 in restitution, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund in relation to his guilty plea to false statements to a federal agency on May 9, 2011. Veit and others allegedly unlawfully conspired to obtain grazing privileges from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to pasture non-Indian-owned cattle on tribally owned range units by falsely claiming that the Veit family owned the cattle and livestock as Cheyenne River Sioux tribal members. This scheme allowed the co-conspirators to defraud the Tribe of approximately $50,532.

http://www.fbi.gov/minneapolis/press-releases/2011/timber-lake-man-sentenced-for-false-statements-to-a-federal-agency?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_source=minneapolis-press-releases&utm_content=17140

Death Investigation on Zia Pueblo (FBI / U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

Death Investigation on Zia Pueblo

— filed under: Press Release

The FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death of a man whose body was found off Highway 550 on the Zia Pueblo on Friday morning. The body was found in an arroyo near Mile Marker 38. More information will be released as it becomes available.

http://www.fbi.gov/albuquerque/press-releases/2011/death-investigation-on-zia-pueblo

Man Pleads Guilty for Possession of Weapon (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma)

Christopher Don Clemons, 37, of Muskogee, Okla., pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 922(g)(1) and Possession of Unregistered Firearm, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Sections 5845, 5861(d) and 5871. The indictment alleges that Clemons, having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowingly possessed a weapon not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/oke/press0811.html

St. Francis Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Meth St. Francis Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Meth St. Francis Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Meth (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota) St. Francis Man Sentenced for Possession and Distribution of Meth

— filed under: Press Release

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Dale Haukaas, age 30, of St. Francis, S.D., was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Haukaas served as a middle man for two individuals from Nebraska who were transporting methamphetamine to the Rosebud Reservation for resale. The drug quantity attributable to Haukaas based on his role in the conspiracy is between 50 and 200 grams of methamphetamine.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/2011/Pierre-2011-08-04-Haukaas.html

Man Charged with Theft (U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma)

Steven Wayne Ferguson, 32, of Tulsa, Okla., is accused of stealing a trailer and lawn mowing equipment from tribal land on May 25, 2011, in excess of $1,000.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/okn/press/August2011.pdf

Man Charged with Assault in Indian Country (U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma)

Ronnie Dean Blossom, 42, from Locust Grove, Okla., is accused of assaulting and causing

serious bodily injury to another Indian in Indian Country on July 15, 2011.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/okn/press/August2011.pdf

August 4, 2011

Man Sentenced in U.S. Federal Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)

Roger Dean Snake, 59, and a resident of Lame Deer, Mont., was sentenced in Billings, Mont., in connection with his guilty plea to two counts of abusive sexual contact. On March 19, 2010, a child disclosed to a school counselor that she was touched in a sexual manner by her step-grandfather, Snake, at Snake’s home within the exterior boundaries of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/index.html

Northern Arapaho Man Sentenced for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)

U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced today that Mervin Black, an enrolled Northern Arapaho Tribal member of the Wind River Reservation, was sentenced in federal court after having pled guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The defendant assaulted a man using brass knuckles, causing serious bodily injury to the victim. He was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $14,023.98 in restitution for the victim’s medical bills.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/wy/news/news.html#aug2010

Northern Arapaho Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)

U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on July 29, 2011, 25-year-old Garnett Rapheal Addison of the Wind River Indian Reservation appeared in Federal District Court for sentencing on a single count of sexual abuse for an April 2009 sexual act involving a minor on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Addison received 87 months of imprisonment, fifteen years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $500.00 fine.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/wy/news/news.html#aug2010

Zuni Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sex Assault Offense (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that Epfreim Louis, 20, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, pled guilty to an information charging him with aggravated sexual abuse under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Louis will be sentenced to a ten-year term of imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release. Louis also will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence. Louis has been in federal custody since his arrest on July 21, 2010, and will remain detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2011/2011-08-04_louis_pr.pdf

August 3, 2011

Navajo Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Federal Assault Conviction (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)

On Aug. 2, 2011, in Albuquerque federal court, Sterling Silversmith, 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced to a 21-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his federal assault conviction. Silversmith also was ordered to pay a total of $3,442 in restitution to the victims of his assault and to healthcare providers who treated the victims. U.S. Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Silversmith was charged in a four-count indictment alleging two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Silversmith allegedly assaulted Donavan Roe Bitsilly and Jay Bowers Levier, both members of the Navajo Nation, in the vicinity of Whiskey Lake, N.M.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nm/pr/2011/2011-08-03_silversmith_pr.pdf

Northern Ariz. Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Armed Robbery of Trading Post (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Jercelo Evan “Slim” Jim, 19, of Round Rock, Ariz., and a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on Aug. 2, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt to 51 months in federal prison for holding up the Round Rock Trading Post in July 2010. Jim pleaded guilty to Armed Robbery after he and two co-defendants entered the Round Rock Trading Post wielding a rifle.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/PR_08032011_Jim.html

August 1, 2011

Little Eagle Man Indicted for Four Counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Two Counts of Abusive Sexual Contact (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Little Eagle man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for four counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child with three different children. Burton Little Dog, 43, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 11, 2011, for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/pressreleases/2011/Pierre-2011-08-01-Little Dog.html

Gila River Man Convicted of Crimes of Domestic Violence (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

Jarvis Juan, 26, of Sacaton, Ariz., and a member of the Gila River Indian tribe, was found guilty by a federal jury of one felony count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and one misdemeanor count of Assault by Striking, Beating or Wounding. In March 2010, Juan intentionally ran over the victim, his spouse, with a vehicle that he was driving with the intent to cause her bodily harm.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/PR_08012011_Juan.html

South Dakota Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)

U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Aug. 1, 2011, Victoria Bobtail Bear, 46, of McLaughlin, S.D., pleaded guilty to a charge of false statements in U.S. District Court. On Nov. 30, 2010, Bobtail Bear was arrested by a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) police office on a charge of disorderly conduct. Bobtail Bear was placed in the BIA officer’s patrol vehicle and was transported to the detention facility in Fort Yates. Bobtail Bear later reported to a BIA criminal investigator that she had been sexually assaulted by the BIA police officer en route to the detention center. The accused officer had recorded the entire event, from arrest to transport to the detention facility, on his lapel camera, which indicated that at no time did the officer carry on with any type of inappropriate conduct with Bobtail Bear.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/news/2011/08-01-11-BobtailBear Pleads Guilty.html