PUBLIC CORRUPTION


CASHIER AT TRIBAL CASINO INDICTED FOR INSIDER THEFT OF OVER $150,000 (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma)


Kimberly Dawn Logsdon, 39, of Anadarko, Okla., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for insider theft of over $150,000 from the Silver Buffalo Casino, announced Sanford C. Coats, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. The Silver Buffalo Casino is a gaming establishment in Anadarko, Okla., that is owned and operated by the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma. Logsdon was employed as a cashier clerk at the Silver Buffalo Casino from July 25, 2007, until her termination on Dec. 3, 2008.  According to the indictment, from January 2008 until December 2008, Logsdon double-counted certain winning cashout vouchers presented by casino customers for payment and kept a total of more than $150,000.


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DRUGS


RED LAKE MAN SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN METHAMPHETAMINE DISTRIBUTION RING (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)


In federal court on Dec. 10, 2012, a 48-year-old Red Lake man was sentenced for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring. U.S. District Judge Susan R. Nelson sentenced Terry Lee Branchaud, also known as Niko Vinnie Gambino, to 156 months in federal prison on one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of five grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Branchaud, who was indicted on April 12, 2011 along with three co-defendants, pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2012.  In his plea agreement, Branchaud acknowledged that from Feb. 25, 2010, through March 9, 2010, he conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. Over the course of three transactions, Branchaud and his co-defendant, Clayton Clarence Reiger, distributed a total of 88.8 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in West Saint Paul for $6,750.


YAKIMA MARIJUANA GROWER SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington)


On Dec. 6, 2012, U.S. Attorney Michael C. Ormsby announced today that Luis Alberto Oregon-Sanchez, 25, of Yakima, Wash., was sentenced for manufacturing more than 100 marijuana plants, a crime to which he had previously pleaded guilty. Senior United States District Judge Fred Van Sickle imposed a five year term of imprisonment to be followed by a four year term of court supervision upon Oregon-Sanchez' release from Federal prison. According to court documents, on March 12, 2012, Oregon-Sanchez was arrested at an indoor marijuana grow in Moxee, Wash. Law enforcement officers discovered nearly 300 marijuana plants in various rooms of the house. Two weeks earlier, Oregon-Sanchez had resided at a different house that burned down due to an electrical overload caused by marijuana grow lamps.


ROSEBUD WOMAN SENTENCED FOR CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE MARIJUANA (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)


U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rosebud woman charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana was sentenced on Nov. 30, 2012, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.  Gloria Louise Barrera, 28, was sentenced to 57 months' in prison, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund. Barrera was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana by a federal grand jury on Dec. 20, 2011.  The charge relates to Barrera conspiring with others to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana in South Dakota between 2008 and 2011.  Barrera pleaded guilty to the charge on July 25, 2012.


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ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME


Sm Energy Company Pleads Guilty and Sentenced in Federal Court (U.S. District of Montana)


U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter  announced today that  on Dec. 12, 2012, SM Energy Company pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in connection the deaths of birds at the company’s drilling facilities in Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska.  Pursuant to a plea agreement, U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby placed the company on probation for one year and ordered it to pay $22,500 in fines, $7,500 toward improvement of migratory bird habitat and to continue implementing a $300,000 comprehensive remediation program intended to prevent future bird deaths at the company’s drilling and storage sites.


SM Energy Company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and operates oil and gas mining operations in several western states, including Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska.  The company’s oil and gas mining operations employ temporary “reserve pits” to store fluid accumulated during drilling operations.  The fluid in reserve pits usually contains petroleum and chemical substances harmful to birds that land on the pits and ingest or become coated with the fluid.  Reserve pits can be made "bird-safe" by various means, including covering them with netting to prevent birds from coming into contact with the toxic fluids.


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VIOLENT CRIME


EASTERN SHOSHONE MAN FOUND GUILTY ON FIVE COUNTS OF ASSAULT (U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming)


U.S. Attorney Christopher A. Crofts announced that on Dec. 19, 2012, a federal jury in Cheyenne, Wy., found Casey James Nowlin, 27, an Eastern Shoshone descendent of Fort Washakie, guilty of five counts of a six count indictment charging assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting, as well as assault resulting in serious bodily injury and aiding and abetting. The assaults had occurred in April 2012 on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The trial before Chief United States District Judge Nancy Freudenthal began on Dec. 10, 2012, and continued through Dec. 19, 2012. Nowlin has been detained since his initial arrest on April 22, 2012 and remains detained pending sentencing, which is set before Judge Freudenthal on February 26, 2013.  A conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting, as well as assault resulting in serious bodily injury and aiding and abetting each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both.


BROWNING MAN SENTENCED FOR ASSAULT (U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana)


U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on Dec. 20, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Eric Lee Many Guns, a 33-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing.  Many Guns was sentenced to 33 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.  Many Guns was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

MANY GUNS, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet tribe, assaulted a victim inside a house located within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation on or about February 1, 2012.  He punched her several times in the face, resulting in a significantly torn lip, requiring multiple sutures to repair.


COUNSELOR, N.M., MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)


U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that on Dec. 18, 2012 in federal court, Harlen Sam, 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Counselor, N.M., entered a guilty plea to two involuntary manslaughter charges under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that Sam admitted causing the death of two passengers in his vehicle on May 4, 2012, when he crashed while driving under the influence of alcohol.  The crash occurred on a dirt road about four miles east of the Ojo Encino Chapter House in Ojo Encino, N.M., which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation.


GREGORY RIDER 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, on Dec. 17, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Gregory Rider, a 47-year-old resident of Harlem, was sentenced to a term of: Prison:  37 months; Special Assessment:  $100; Supervised Release:  5 years.  Rider was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to sexual abuse of a minor. In an offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danna R. Jackson, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following: Between approximately July 1, 2005, and approximately July 1, 2007, Rider sexually abused a minor on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.


CHERRY CREEK MAN SE NTENCED ON SEXUAL CONTACT CHARGE (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)


U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Cherry Creek man charged with Sexual Contact with a Minor was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2012, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.  Marlem Dupris, age 59, was sentenced to 21 months of imprisonment, a $100 assessment and a period of supervised release of five years. Dupris was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2012.  On October 4, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of Sexual Contact with a Minor.


ROSEBUD MAN SENTENCED FOR CONCEALING AND DESTROYING EVIDENCE (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)


U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man charged with Concealing and Destroying Evidence was sentenced on Dec. 17, 2012, by U.S District Judge Roberto A. Lange.  Calvin Gillette, 21, was sentenced to 4 months in custody, 6 months of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.  The conviction stems from an incident that took place on August 4, 2011, when Gillette took a knife that was used in an alleged assault by his co-defendant and threw it into a reservoir.  The knife was never recovered.     


BROWNING MAN SENTENCED TO 45 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD (District Court of Montana)


U.S. Attorney Michael W. Cotter announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on Dec. 17, 2012 Eddy Dean Bullcalf, a 42-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing.  Bullcalf was sentenced to 540 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.  Bullcalf was sentenced after a federal district court trial in which he was found guilty of three counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. Between 1996 and 2001, Bullcalf repeatedly sexually abused a young girl.



MESCALERO APACHE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL ASSAULT CHARGES (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)


U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced on Dec. 12, 2012 that Paul Francis Hicks, 49, a member of the Mescalero Apache Nation who resides in Mescalero, N.M., pleaded guilty this afternoon to a two-count indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  Hicks entered his guilty plea without the benefit of a plea agreement in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M.U.S. Attorney Gonzales said that Hicks pleaded guilty to assaulting a Mescalero Apache woman by slashing her hand with a large hunting knife at the Mescalero Tribal Offices on March 1, 2012.  As a result of the assault, the victim suffered tendon and nerve damage that required surgery to repair.


RED LAKE MAN SENTENCED FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING TWO YOUNG GIRLS (U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota)


On Dec. 10, 2012 in federal court, a 60-year-old Red Lake man was sentenced for sexually abusing two young girls. United States District Chief Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced Dean Earl Wilkens to 30 years in federal prison and supervised release for life on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse. Chief Judge Davis also ordered Wilkens to register as a sex offender. Wilkens, who was charged in a superseding indictment on May 21, 2012, was convicted on July 24, 2012, following a four-day jury trial. The evidence presented at trial proved that that between Dec. 12, 2008 and Dec. 12, 2011, Wilkens engaged in sexual acts with two minor females while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation.


PREWITT, N.M. MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR FEDERAL ASSAULT CONVICTION (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico)


On Dec. 10, 2012, a federal judge sentenced John Howard, 27, to a two-year term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release for his federal assault conviction.  Howard, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Prewitt, N.M., was indicted on March 1, 2012and charged with (1) assault with a dangerous weapon and (2) assault resulting in serious bodily injury.  The indictment alleged that on Aug. 6, 2010, Howard assaulted a man with steel-toed boots causing the victim serious bodily injury.


Howard entered a guilty plea to Count 2 of the indictment on Aug. 27, 2012.  In his plea agreement, Howard admitted repeatedly kicking the victim in the head causing him to suffer significant injury including the loss of vision in his left eye, a fractured nasal bone and lacerations to his face and head.  Howard also acknowledged that the assault occurred within the boundaries of the Navajo Indian Reservation.


TOPPENISH MAN SENTENCED TO 46 MONTHS IMPRISONMENT (U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington)


On Dec. 6, 2012, Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Even Charles McGee, Jr., age 25, who resides within the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced after having been found guilty of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Senior United States District Court Judge Van Sickle sentenced McGee to a 46 month term of imprisonment to be followed by a 36 month term of court supervision upon release from Federal prison.




EAGLE BUTTE MAN CONVICTED OF SEX CRIMES (U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota)


U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that following a five-day federal jury trial, Patrick Brown Thunder, age 31, of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, was convicted on Dec. 7, 2012, of one count of Sex With a Minor and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Person Incapable of Consenting. The Sexual Abuse charge carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The Sex With a Minor charge has a maximum sentence of 15 years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both. Brown Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2011 for Sex With a Minor, two counts of Sexual Abuse and Kidnapping. He was found not guilty of one count of Sexual Abuse and the Kidnapping charge. The charges were the result of two incidents that occurred in April 2006 and March 2008 near Dupree, South Dakota.


NEW MEXICO PROBATION OFFICER INDICTED ON SEXUAL ABUSE CHARGES (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)


A federal grand jury in Albuquerque, N.M., has indicted Gordon Chavez, 35, a probation officer with the New Mexico Corrections Department of Probation and Parole, on charges related to the sexual assault of a probationer whom he supervised.  The New Mexico Corrections Department placed Chavez on administrative leave following his arrest on Dec. 4, 2012.  Chavez was charged with violating the civil rights of the victim by engaging in unwanted sexual contact.  The indictment also charges Chavez with making material false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Specifically, the latter count charges Chavez with lying to the FBI when he denied partaking in sexual activity with any female under his supervision and when he denied asking females under his supervision for naked photographs.  The indictment alleges that Chavez knew these statements were false at the time that he made them because he had, in fact, engaged in these behaviors.



NAVAJO MAN SENTENCED TO 17.5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT (U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona)


On Dec. 3, 2012, Wilson Tsosie, 48, of Pinon, Ariz. was sentenced by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow to 17.5 years in federal prison. On July 13, 2012, a federal jury found Tsosie guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse.  Evidence presented at trial showed that Tsosie sexually assaulted an elderly Navajo woman outside of Pinon, Ariz., on April 16, 2011.


ZACHARY STANLEY KNOWS HIS GUN SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT (U.S. Attorney for District of Montana)


The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on December 3, 2012, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, Zachary Stanley Knows His Gun, a 18-year-old resident of Lame Deer and an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, appeared for sentencing.  Knows His Gun was sentenced to a term of: Prison:  37 months; Special Assessment:  $100; Supervised Release:  3 years.  Knows His Gun was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to assault with a dangerous weapon.


NAVAJO MAN CONVICTED TO ASSULT AND DISCHARGING A FIREARM IN A CRIME OF VIOLENCE (U.S. Attorney for District of Arizona)


On Nov. 29, 2012, a federal jury in Prescott, Ariz., found Harry McCabe, Sr., 51, of Ganado, Ariz., guilty of one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. The case was tried before U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg from Nov. 27 through Nov. 29, 2012. McCabe is being held in custody pending sentencing, which is set before Judge Teilborg on Feb. 20, 2013. The evidence at trial showed that McCabe assaulted the victim on the Navajo Nation by firing a .22 caliber rifle at him, causing a bullet wound to the head. The bullet caused serious bodily injury to the victim.


TUCSON MAN SENTENCED TWO YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR TAMPERING WITH A VICTIM IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ALTERCATION ON THE PASCUA YAQUI RESERVATION (U.S. District Attorney for the District of Arizona)


On Nov. 30, 2012, James Rayburn Johnson, 44, of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to two years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty on May 9, 2012, to tampering with a victim.  According to court documents, on Nov. 29, 2011, on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation, Johnson used physical force, or the threat of the use of physical force, against the victim by taking her cellular telephone away from her when she was attempting to call the police department to report an assault, or possible assault, Johnson had committed against her. In doing so, Johnson intended to hinder, delay, or prevent communication to a law enforcement officer of information relating to the commission, or the possible commission, of a federal offense against the victim.


MISSISSIPPI MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO BURGLARY (U.S. Attorney for the District of Southern Mississippi)


Chester Clayton, age 22, of Carthage, MS, pleaded guilty on Nov. 30, 2012 to one count of burglary, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis announced today.  The offense occurred within the boundaries of the Tribal Lands of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.  Clayton will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on March 1, 2013and faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.


MACY MAN SENTENCED FOR ASSAULT ON A FEDERAL OFFICER (U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska)


U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Shalyn Dick, 23, of Macy, Neb., was sentenced for Assaulting a Federal Officer on Oct. 23, 2012.  The Honorable Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Dick to one year in prison.  After he is released from prison Dick will begin a three year term of supervised release. On Feb. 13, 2012 officers were called to a residence in Macy to remove Dick from a residence.  Dick resisted both a Macy police officer and a Special Agent with the FBI.  When the officers attempted to place cuffs on Dick he responded by tackling the police officer.  After being tasered Dick continued to resist the agent as he attempted to control Dick.



ZUNI PUEBLO MAN SENTENCED TO 27 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR FEDERAL ASSAULT CONVICTION (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)


U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced on Dec. 17, 2012, that a federal judge sentenced Aaron Yatsattie, 30, a member and resident of Zuni Pueblo, to a 27-month term in prison for his assault conviction.  Yatsattie will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence. Yatsattie entered a guilty plea to an indictment charging him with assault resulting in serious bodily injury on Sept. 19, 2012.  In entering his guilty plea, Yatsattie admitted that, shortly after midnight on April 29, 2012, he seriously injured an 18-year-old Zuni Pueblo man by running over him with a sport utility vehicle at a high rate of speed.  Yatsattie further admitted that he was intoxicated at the time of the collision.


ACOMA PUEBLO MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHILD SEX ABUSE CHARGE (U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico)


On Dec. 17, 2012 in federal court, Terrence Joseph Kie, 34, a member and resident of the Acoma Pueblo, N.M., pled guilty to an indictment charging him with abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of 12, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and DuWayne W. Honahni, Sr., Special Agent in Charge of District IV of the Bureau of Indian Affair’s Office of Justice Services. Kie was charged with the child sex abuse charge in an indictment that was filed on Sept. 5, 2012.  Kie was arrested on Sept. 13, 2012, and has been in federal custody since that time.