Cheyenne-Arapaho Indian Tribes

Tenth Circuit Affirms Conviction of Former Cheyenne-Arapho Tribal Leaders for Theft from a Tribal Organization

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the unpublished opinion in United States v. Blind. And here is the related unpublished opinion in United States v. Sankey.

An excerpt:

William Blind appeals his conviction of eight counts of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1163 and his resulting sentence. He argues there was insufficient evidence to sustain his convictions and that the district court erred in calculating the amount of loss for the purposes of sentencing, including restitution. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3742(a) and 28 U.S.C. § 1291, this court AFFIRMS the judgment  of conviction and AFFIRMS the sentence except as to restitution. The order of restitution is REVERSED and the matter is REMANDED for resentencing only as to restitution.

Tenth Circuit Affirms Conviction of Tribal Embezzler

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the opinion in United States v. Oldbear, affirming the conviction of a tribal employee for embezzlement of tribal funds. An excerpt:

Louella Oldbear, a member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Indian Tribes, used tribal funds to repair one of her personal vehicles and to purchase another. A federal jury convicted her of five counts of embezzling Indian tribal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1163 and one count of making a false statement to a government agent in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).