GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) – A former Spirit Lake Nation councilman and his wife won't serve prison time for stealing from the tribe.

U.S. Attorney Timothy Purdon says 69-year-old Carl Walking Eagle of Fort Totten was sentenced Wednesday to about four months of home detention to be followed by three years of supervised release, and 65-year-old Barbara Walking Eagle was sentenced to two years of supervised release.

The couple also must pay about $8,400 in restitution, and Carl Walking Eagle was fined $1,000 and also ordered to write a letter of apology to the tribe.

The Walking Eagles were accused of hiding household income so they could get fuel assistance. Carl Walking Eagle was the tribe's vice chairman at the time. The couple pleaded guilty in August to theft and embezzlement charges.