{"id":38153,"date":"2024-11-28T18:18:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T23:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/former-oglala-sioux-tribe-treasurer-accused-of-theft\/"},"modified":"2024-11-28T18:18:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T23:18:54","slug":"former-oglala-sioux-tribe-treasurer-accused-of-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/former-oglala-sioux-tribe-treasurer-accused-of-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Oglala Sioux Tribe treasurer accused of theft"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>
\"Mason<\/a><\/p>\n

Mason Big Crow, the former treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RAPID CITY, S.D. \u2013 Mason Big Crow, the former treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was detained on Nov. 20 on federal charges related to embezzlement.<\/p>\n

Court documents indicate Big Crow, Northern Arapaho and Oglala Lakota, was formally indicted on Sept. 19 on charges of larceny and embezzlement.<\/p>\n

Big Crow\u2019s indictment states that on or about between January 2021 and March 2023 Big Crow allegedly stole an amount exceeding $1,000. And second, on or about between January 2021 and March 2023 Big Crow stole or embezzled more than $1,000 of monies, funds, credits, goods, assets or other property belonging to the Oglala Sioux Tribe.<\/p>\n

Big Crow is currently being held in the Pennington County Jail.<\/p>\n

His initial appearance is scheduled for Friday at the Andrew W. Bogue Federal Building in Rapid City.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Big Crow served as treasurer from 2022 until September 2023 when he resigned in a special session. Big Crow had previously served several terms as tribal treasurer from 2020-2022 and 2018-2020.<\/p>\n

At the time of his resignation, Big Crow was behind on filing numerous tribal audits, claiming COVID had delayed the process.<\/p>\n

In a May 31, 2023, tribal council meeting, Big Crow said the tribe\u2019s previous audit firm had quit and he was securing a new firm, Whipfli Firm in Rapid City, to help complete its audits. At the time, the tribe was struggling to gain funding for projects due to the unfinished audits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis puts the tribe in a world of hurt when we can\u2019t get anything done about the audits,\u201d Councilman DonRoy \u201cCubby\u201d Ghost Bear said in the May 31, 2023, meeting. \u201cYou\u2019re telling us one thing and I\u2019m hearing another thing. We\u2019re three years behind. We can\u2019t be having that, Mason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilwoman Anna Halverson brought attention to missing COVID finance reports during the meeting. Millions in federal COVID relief funds given to the tribe were unaccounted for as of May 2023, she said during the meeting.<\/p>\n

Both Ghost Bear and Halverson sat on the tribe\u2019s finance committee and expressed in the 2023 meeting that Big Crow had not been transparent about finances with the committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe audit isn\u2019t our fault,\u201d Big Crow told them. \u201cThe auditors up and quit on us. I didn\u2019t call them and tell them not to do the audit if that\u2019s what you\u2019re trying to say.\u201d <\/p>\n

In that meeting, Big Crow said the audits should be completed by the end of 2023, but today the tribe is missing audits for 2020, 2021 and 2023, according to records from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. <\/p>\n

At the time, there were also concerns the tribe was in default to the First National Bank of Gordon, Neb.<\/p>\n

The tribe had consolidated a roughly $40 million loan from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Tribe with the bank. The Shakopee Tribe had provided a loan to the tribe in the early 2000s for improvements to the Oglala Sioux Tribe\u2019s Prairie Wind Casino.<\/p>\n

Tribes are required by law to have audited financial statements and compliance audits. The Single Audit Act requires an annual audit of all non-federal entities that spend over $750,000 in Federal Financial Assistance, including tribes, every fiscal year. <\/p>\n

Big Crow was replaced as treasurer by Cora White Horse.<\/p>\n

During his term as treasurer, tribal citizens had raised concerns of Big Crow\u2019s inability to effectively file information needed for federal audits \u2013 something South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem attacked the tribe and other tribes for in early 2024. <\/p>\n

After resigning, Big Crow attempted to run for a tribal council position as Wakpamni District Representative in the 2024 tribal election but lost.<\/p>\n

The Oglala Sioux Tribe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Big Crow\u2019s attorney, Gregory J. Sperlich, was in court and unable to respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.<\/span> <\/p>\n

The post Former Oglala Sioux Tribe treasurer accused of theft<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>

Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/div>

Mason Big Crow, the former treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe RAPID CITY, S.D. \u2013 Mason Big Crow, the former treasurer of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, was detained on Nov. 20 on federal charges related to embezzlement. Court documents indicate Big Crow, Northern Arapaho and Oglala Lakota, was formally indicted <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> November 28, 2024<\/p>\n

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