Second Circuit Briefs in US v. Thomas (Former Mashantucket Pequot Chair)

Here:

Thomas Opening Brief

US Brief

Thomas Reply Brief TK

Lower court materials here.

Ninth Circuit Partially Reverses Conviction for Theft from Fort Peck Tribe

Here is the opinion in United States v. White Eagle.

The court’s summary:

The panel affirmed in part and reversed in part a criminal judgment in a case arising out of the involvement by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in a scheme to obtain money from a tribal credit program.

Reversing convictions on counts charging conspiracy to convert tribal credit program proceeds (18 U.S.C. § 371) and theft and conversion from an Indian Tribal Organization (18 U.S.C. §§ 1163, 2), the panel held that the government’s misapplication theory, predicated at best on an employer directive and a civil regulation, cannot support a conviction; and that the government’s embezzlement and conversion theories also fail because the defendant never controlled or had custody of the funds that she later borrowed.

Affirming a bribery conviction (18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2)), the panel held that a jury could easily infer a quid pro quo and had ample evidence to conclude that the defendant’s actions were “corrupt.”

Because the government did not show that the defendant violated a specific duty to report credit program fraud, the panel reversed her conviction of concealment of public corruption (18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1)).

And the briefs:

White Eagle Opening Brief

US Answer Brief

White Eagle Reply Brief

Michael and Steven Thomas Indictments

Here:

Michael Thomas Indictment

Steven Thomas Indictment

News coverage here.

Our prior post here.

U.S. v. Janis — CA8 Affirms Conviction for Embezzlement from Tribe

Here is the opinion in United States v. Janis, affirming a conviction under 18 USC 1163 for embezzling funds from an Indian tribe, the Oglala Sioux Tribe — us-v-janis-ca8-opinion