Tribal Justice News

WEEK OF JULY 6, 2010


Louis Janis Sentenced for Discharging a Firearm During a Crime (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Louis Janis, a man charged with discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, was sentenced on July 2, 2010, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken to 120 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $100 to the Victim Assistance Fund.  Janis was indicted for assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence by a federal grand jury on Oct. 20, 2009.  Janis pulled a .45 caliber handgun from his pants and held it at his side as he approached a vehicle parked in the Eastridge Housing located in Pine Ridge.  When Janis approached the driver of the vehicle, he discharged the firearm, shooting the driver from approximately six to eight feet away.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html

Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Police Officer (U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska)
U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg announced on June 30, 2010, that Chief U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Eliseo Buchanan Nava to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his conviction for third degree assault on a police officer.  On Oct. 4, 2009, the Winnebago police were called to Nava’s residence on the Winnebago Indian Reservation due to allegations that Nava was intoxicated.  Although the police originally intended to remove Nava from the residence until he became sober, the responding officers learned there was an outstanding tribal warrant for Nava.  When an officer attempted to handcuff Nava and place him under arrest, Nava became combative and began resisting and punching the officer.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/ne/press/

Former Vice President of Tonkawa Tribe Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Tribal Casino Funds (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma)

U. S Attorney Sanford C. Coats announced that Gordon Warrior pleaded guilty on June 30, 2010, to embezzlement from the Tonkawa Tribe.  Warrior, a member of the Tonkawa Tribe, served as the Tribal Vice President from 2005 through 2008.  During his plea hearing, he admitted that while serving as Vice President of the tribe, he embezzled several hundred thousand dollars of proceeds from the tribe’s casino operations for his own personal use.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/okw/index.html

Two Former Elected Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribal Officials Sentenced for Conspiracy and Embezzlement (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma)

U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats announced on June 30, 2010, that William F. Blind, Jr. and his wife, Vinita H. Sankey, both of Canton, Okla., were sentenced for multiple counts of conspiracy and embezzlement of funds belonging to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, including net gaming revenues derived from the Lucky Star Casinos.  U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron sentenced Blind to serve 33 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.  Sankey was ordered to serve 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/okw/index.html

Nez Sentenced to Twenty-One Months in Federal Prison for Aggravated Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah)
Acting U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen announced on June 30, 2010, that Keith Carlan Nez, age 20, who pleaded guilty in March to one count of aggravated assault within Indian Country, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,199.41 in restitution.  In a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Nez admitted that he stabbed an individual in the arm, cutting his bicep.  Nez, an enrolled member of the Ute Indian Tribe, was indicted in January on three counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/ut/press/index.html

San Carlos Apache Man Sentenced to Six Years for Drunk Driving Crash that Killed Three Women (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)

U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke announced that Bernie Deshane Baca, 21, of San Carlos, Ariz., was sentenced on June 29, 2010, by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to six years in federal prison for three counts of involuntary manslaughter.  These offenses occurred on the Ft. Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Ariz.  On May 10, 2008, Baca was driving at a high rate of speed and lost control of the vehicle he was driving and hit another car head-on.  Baca was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/index.html

North Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Assault (U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota)
Acting U.S. Attorney Lynn Jordheim announced that on June 29, 2010, Michael L. Demery, 26, of Dunseith, N.D., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel L. Hovland to a charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  On Jan. 19, 2010, the victim was giving Demery a ride home when they began to argue.  Demery used his fists to strike the victim in the face multiple times.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nd/pressreleases/index.html

Allen Joseph Lamere Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on June 28, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Allen Joseph Lamere was sentenced to a term of 12 months in prison followed by three years supervised release.  Lamere was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to theft from an Indian tribal organization receiving federal funding.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

Alfred Albert Comes Last Sentenced in U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on June 28, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Alfred Albert Comes Last, a 67-year-old resident of Wolf Point, Mont., was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by three years supervised release.  Comes Last was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to failure to register as a sexual offender.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

David Hugo Walker Sentenced In U.S. District Court (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)
U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, Mont., on June 28, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, David Hugo Walker, a 43-year-old resident of Fort Belknap, Mont., was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by 10 years supervised release.  Walker was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to failure to register as a sex offender.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/mt/pressreleases/last20.html

South Dakota Man Sentenced for Bribery and Theft (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)
U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Randy Shields, a Ft. Thompson, S.D., man charged with bribery and theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, was sentenced on June 28, 2010, to 40 months in custody, two years of supervised release, an $11,000 fine, $1,000 restitution, and a $100 assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.  Shields, along with his co-defendants, was indicted for bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and retaliation against a witness by a federal grand jury in November 2008.  At that time, Randy Shields was an elected official serving as a tribal council member for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe.  During this time, Shields illegally received bribes from Archie Baumann, a construction contractor from Fort Pierre, who was attempting to obtain construction contracts and other business from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/sd/Media.html