Former tribal leader sentenced for taking bribes in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former government official of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation has been sentenced to five years in prison for taking bribes from a contractor at Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Randall Phelan, of Mandaree, was sentenced Monday (May 15, 2023) after pleading guilty last year. Federal prosecutors said he he solicited and accepted bribes totaling more than $645,000 while an elected representative of the governing body of the Three Affiliated Tribes from 2013 to 2020. Two co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty and are serving prison terms for their roles in the scheme.