BIA officer faces federal corruption charges

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The highest-ranking Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on the Fort Peck Reservation is facing federal corruption charges related to thefts from the tribe's loan program.

A federal indictment filed and unsealed Monday charges 63-year-old Superintendent Florence White Eagle of Poplar with six felonies, including theft from an Indian tribal organization, bribery and concealment of public corruption.

Prosecutors say she took part in a scheme in which more than $1 million was embezzled from a program intended to help tribal members with short- and long-term loans. Court records say the scheme ran from 1999 to 2009.

The Billings Gazette reports White Eagle has not been arrested but must appear for arraignment March 29. She is the third BIA employee on the reservation to be charged. At least 10 people have been charged in the overall case.

–––

Information from: Billings Gazette,
http://www.billingsgazette.com