Past and present Crow Creek Sioux Tribe council members have been indicted by a federal grand jury for embezzlement & theft from an Indian tribal organization and aiding and abetting.
Roland Robert Hawk, Sr., age 50, Francine Maria Middletent, age 55, Roxanne Lynette Sazue, age 62, and Jacquelyn Ernestine Pease, age 34, all from Fort Thompson have each pled not guilty.
According to the Indictment, in about March 2014 through February 2019, Hawk, Middletent, Sazue and Pease embezzled over $1,000 belonging to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. During the timeframe, Hawk served as the elected Treasurer of the tribe and all of the other defendants worked for Hawk in the tribe’s finance office.
The maximum penalties for each defendant if convicted are as follows: 5 years imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine; 3 years, of supervised release; $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund; and restitution may be ordered.
Hawk, Sr. was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Defendants Pease, Middletent and Sazue were released on bond. A trial date has not been set.
The case was brought pursuant to The Guardians Project, another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities.
For additional information about The Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
