The former information technology director of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST) and a contractor were each charged with their respective roles in a bribery scheme.
Sven Schreiber, age 52, of Florida and North Dakota, and Arnaldo Piccinelli, age 43 of Florida, were each charged with three counts of Bribery Concerning a Program Receiving Federal Funds.
Schreiber entered a plea of not guilty in federal court in South Dakota. Piccinelli made pled not guilty in federal court in the Middle District of Florida. Each was released pending trial.
If convicted, each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine; three years of supervised release following release from custody; and restitution.
According to the charging document, in or around December 2015, Schreiber became the Director of the Information Technology Department of the SRST. Schreiber’s duties included, among other things, serving as the Tribe’s primary contact with outside vendors and generating bids, contracts, and agreements relating to the work of the Tribe’s Information Technology Department. Piccinelli provided information technology services on a sole-source, contract basis with the Tribe, by and through its Information Technology Department. Schreiber served as Defendant Piccinelli’s point of contact regarding all of the contracts with the Tribe. Piccinelli accepted payments from the Tribe, at the direction of Schreiber, via checks made payable to Piccinelli individually or to Piccinelli’s for-profit corporation, Hexagon Code, Incorporated. It is alleged that on more than one occasion, Schreiber agreed to accept a bribe from Piccinelli, who paid the bribe to Schreiber.
The case was brought pursuant to The Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities.
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