The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1995-06-09

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Leech Lake indictments shake reign of
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
By Jeff Armstrong
The long anticipated indictment June
7 of top-ranking officials ofthe Leech
Lake Reservation Business
Committee prompted calls for
immediate federal monitoring and
community oversight over any tribal
business transactions, including a
suspension of contracts and
negotiations with the state of
Minnesota. Leech Lake Tribal Chair
Tig Pemberton and Secretary-
Treasurer Dan Brown face charges
that they conspired with then
reservation attorney Skip Firm to
embezzle upwards of $1 million in a
phony insurance fund controlled by
Finn. Although the Leech Lake RBC
operates two multi-million dollar
casinos and receives millions more in
state and federal funds, tribal members
have seen little if any ofthe proceeds—
and even less public accounting ofthe
funds.
Tribal member Warren Tibbets said
tight scrutiny of Leech Lake finances
is needed while arrangements are
made for a public meeting with
members and officials of the six-
reservation Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe. "We need to keep them away
from any kind of access to the money
on the reservation, and cut that money
source down, so we don't have to pay
for their defense." said Tibbetts. "If
the Bureau [of Indian Affairs] won't
do it, somebody else will. More than
likely it's going to have to be the
people on the reservation."
In his announcement to a strangely
complacent media, US AttorneyDavid
Lillehaug charged that "almost a
million dollars of a sovereign Indian
government's money was looted by
three of its most powerful leaders.
The real victims are the honest Oj ibwe
who would never think of dipping
into the tribal till for personal use."
Numerous press reports failed to even
mention that the two highest Leech
Lake officials were named in the 38-
count indictment, focusing instead
on Finn, Vice-Chair of the MN
Senate's Judiciary Committee.
Charges of conspiracy, theft, bribery,
mail fraud, money laundering, and
impeding a grand jury investigation
were made in the 66-page document.
Anishinabe activist Franklin (Doc)
LaRose said the compromised position
of the tribal council, three of five of
whose members have now been
indicted or convicted of official
misconduct, makes it susceptible to
further state infringement of treaty
rights. "They can turn around and
make deals with the state to keep
them in power and continue on with
what they're doing. We don't want
any negotiations with the county or
the state at any capacity, at any level.
Every time there is, there's a loss of
sovereignty," said LaRose. "The
state's buying our sovereignty.'
Reign cont'd on pg 3
Complete text of federal felony indictments against
Finn, Pemberton and Brown/ pg 2
Schedule of preliminary arraignment for Finngate
Co-conspirators/ pg 4
Internal struggles at Center School resurface/ pg 1
Voice of the Anishinabek (The People)
i
Fifty Cents
Internal struggles atCenterSchool resurface
Ojibwe
News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
By Gary Blair
"Please accept my resignation as
PSPP (Post Secondary Planning Program) counselor as of Monday, June
12, 1995. After considering the barriers and institutional instability I
have faced as an employee in my short
tenure at Center School, I do not believe that prolonging my stay would
be wise at this time."
The above statement is the opening lines of a memorandum signed by
Salima Khakoo, an employee of Center School, the Native American alternative school located at 2421
Bloomington Avenue south in Minneapolis.
Khakoo sent copies of the letter to
the following organizations: "Minneapolis Public Schools; United Way;
Department of Education; Native
American Press; Star Tribune; The
Alley; and State Rep. Karen Clark."
According to Khakoo, sixteen ofthe
school's staff have left in the last two
and a half years, included were Native Americans. She also says the two
parent and student positions on the
school's board of directors are vacant.
These positions were developed to
help create more student and parent
involvement in the day to day operation ofthe school.
At least two ofthe school's board
members, as well as many staff members, admit the 25 year old school has
administrative difficulties. "Yes, there
are problems," Dr. Virgina Allery, a
Native American, and school board
member told the PRESS on Tuesday.
Dr. Allery, who specializes in education, says most ofthe problems are
do to a lack of communications and
are being caused by the teachers. "If
they'd just do their work and stop
complaining, that's most ofthe prob
lem," she added.
Dr. Allery also says the school will
be doing a nationwide search for a
new administrator, but didn't say
when that would take place. Carol
Brieschke, is the school's present director and it's been reported that she'll
stay until a replacement is found.
Khakoo's letter of resignation dated
June 2, 1995, tells a different story of
what has occurred at the school. The
memo continues: "The institutional
barriers at Center School occur in
many areas. As a new employee, I
was very enthusiastic and energetic
about sening the youth in my Phillips
community. But I realized that parental involvement in decision-making roles does not exist and is de-emphasized here. Furthermore, staff
members are dissuaded from participating in Board meetings and are ridi-
School cont'd on pg 3
Founded   in 1988
Volume G    Issue SO
June 9, 1995
\
A weekly publication.
Copyright, The Ojibwe Mews, 1995
Vandalism to Teepee raises questions on
racism in Bemidji, Minnesota
By John Rainbird
Staff Internist
About 9:45am Monday morning, a
passing neighbor noticed a gaping
hole to the backside of a teepee in the
front yard of 815- Rosevelt Road,
leaving the owners wondering about
the degree of racial stress in the town
of Bemidji, MN.
William Klaus, and Lorraine
Vedbraaten, of 815 Rosevelt Road,
notified the Police department after they
were notified by a neighbor that their
Teepee had a big hole in the back of it.
The police investigated the incident
and according to the police report by
the investigating officer, a plastic
bottle of charcoal starting fluid and a
small blue-green rag were found near
the teepee and taken to be analyzed by
the police departments detectives.
However, the press learned later, no
pictures were taken ofthe scene, nor
were any neighbors contacted about
the incident.
"Would the police brush it off if this
were a church? .... I'd like a better
investigator. How can a thing like
arson be treated so lightly by our own
Police Department?" Klaus calls the
crime a racial hate crime, and is
confused because the investigating
officer hadn't treated it that way. He
said the police officer spent about
three minutes at the scene and took
the starter fluid bottle. And when
they went to the police department to
find out the bottles brand name, so
they could investigate it on their own,
the bottle was locked up in evidencs
and was unavailable to them.
The Bemidji Fire Department had
not been notified ofthe fire, since the
damage required no attendance by
the department. Since the fire was
already out when the police arrived
there was no need to call them.
Normally, the Fire Department
investigates arson fires, making it
questionable as to why they weren't
called to investigate it in the first place.
According to Klaus, the damage to
his teepee would have been a total
loss, if he hadn't treated it before with
afireretardant material, "good thing,
it works," he said.
The canvas made Teepee has been
used as an educational tool in several
schools, by Boy Scouts, Beltrami
County Fair, art shows across the
nation and never was touched by
anyone," said Klaus. "I'm not mad so
much, but hurt that this has to go on
in this community," he said.
The estimated loss would be around
a $ 1,000 today for the 18' foot teepee.
They are also offering a $500 reward
for information leading to the arrest
and or conviction of those responsible.
Two of the three children stood
asking if their father was ok. "Will
you be alright dad, why would they do
that to us?" These were the questions
being asked by their children standing
near the center ofthe burnt portion of
the teepee, (pictures below)
State Senator Harold "Skip" Finn, Alfred "Tig" Pemberton and Daniel Brown face federal charges.
Sen. Harold 'Skip' Finn, 2 tribal officials,
/ndieted   Fraud, $1 million theft from Chippewa alleged
By Thomas J. Collins and
Jin R agadaDs, Staff Writers
St Paul Pioneer Press
Three months after State Sen.
Harold "Skip" Finn backed out of a
misdemeanor plea over business dealings with his American Indian clients,
he was indicted Wednesday on felony
charges that he and two other men
stole nearly $1 million from them.
A federal grand jury handed down
a 24-count indictment against the
Cass Lake attorney in connection with
what the government alleges is a
wide-ranging, decade-long conspiracy
to defraud the Leech Lake Band of
Chippewa, of which Finn is a member.
conspiracy, theft, bribery, mail fraud,
money laundering and impeding the
grand jury's investigation.
Also charged with conspiracy, mail
fraud and lying to federal investigators is Alfred Pemberton, chairman
of the Leech Lake Band and Daniel
Brown, the band's secretary-treasurer.
The defendants are expected to make
their initial court appearances next
week, prosecutors said.
The allegations in the federal indictment may be the most serious criminal charges ever leveled against a sitting legislator, according to veterans
ofthe Minnesota Legislature.
Finn, the first American Indian to
serve in the Minnesota Senate, might
have avoided the felony charges
of misapplying more than $13,000 in
the band's funds. That charge carried
a maximum 12 months in jail and up
to a $100,000 fine.
He balked at jail time, however, and
withdrew an earlier guilty plea to the
lesser charge. The new felony charges
have maximum sentences up to 10
years.
Doug Kelley, Firm's attorney, said
the barrage of charges shows that "you
don't mess with Mother Nature or
upset the government. What was once
a misdemeanor ... is now a
multicount felony indictment," Kelley
said. "Senator Finn categorically denies all the charges and looks forward
to his day in court."
The indictments against Finn stem
against him by pleading guilty ear-
Finn, 46, has been charged with   lier this year to a misdemeanor charge   Finn cont'd On DQ 3
Justice Department announces plan to fight
crime on reservations
Sisseton-Wahpeton chairman ousted after conviction
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)_ Russell
Hawkins is no longer chairman ofthe
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe.
Three days after his felony
conspiracy conviction, tribal council
members voted 11-4 to oust Hawkins
as head ofthe 10,500-member tribe.
The Monday morning meeting in
Agency Village marked the end of
Hawkins' 15-year tribal political
career.
Tribal officials said the council
plans to call a special election to fill
Hawkins' seat. No date was
announced. Tribal Secretary Mike
Selvage Sr. will fill in until then.
Hawkins, who was chairman from
1983-1993 and won a sixth two-year
term last November, did not return a
telephone message seeking comment
Monday afternoon. A woman who
answered the phone at his home said
he was out jogging.
Hawkins was convicted for plotting
to lie to federal officials and steal
from the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
In 1993, he helped divert a 300-ton
military surplus crane obtained for
the Seminoles to his private employer,
Dakota Machinery Exchange of Sioux
Falls.
Hawkins faces up to five years in
prison and a $250,000 fine. A
sentencing date has not been set.
Maynard Bernard, who lost a close
race to Hawkins last November, told
council members Monday that Hawkins
had defrauded the tribe and sullied its
reputation. Bernard has investigated
and criticized Hawkins' dealings in
surplus government equipment since
1991.
Records show $2.1 million from
illegal equipment sales went to tribal
accounts controlled by Hawkins in
1991 and 1992. Private companies
such as DME earned an estimated
$15 million, Interior Department
investigators said.
"The tribal people, they were ripped
off," Bernard said in a telephone
interview. "Just a few people got most
ofthe money. The poor people didn't
hardly get anything."
Bernard said Hawkins and others
involved in the scheme "stole from
the United States government."
"That's why I was interested. I put
my life up for my country. I've got a
Purple Heart ... I've done my job,"
said Bernard, an Army veteran who
was wounded twice in the Korean
War.
B
By Kimberly Murphy
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ U.S.
Attorney General Janet Reno told
Native American representatives from
across the country on Friday that the
federal government has much to learn
from tribal leaders.
Reno and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-
Utah, addressed about 200
government and tribal officials
attending the Northwest American
Indian Nations and Department of
Justice Conference.
More than 50 Northwestern tribes
and chief judges from federal and
state courts in Idaho, Montana,
Oregon, Washington, Nevada and
Utah were represented.
Both Reno and Hatch said they and
the federal government remain
committed to ending the poverty,
crime, environmental concerns and
lacking medical care that for years
have interfered with the ability of
tribes to prosper.
"I have to say I am not happy with
some of the ways you are treated,"
said Hatch, chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee and member of
the Committee on Indian Affairs.
"I am not happy with the way some
of the federal programs are
administered," he said. "I am not
happy with the poverty and lack of
health care. So help me to do a better
job to help you."
Reno agreed that much more could
be done to help tribes, but also said
the federal government is making
progress. She pointed to several
programs that have helped tribes fight
crime and defend their sovereignty
and religious rights.
"At last year's National American
Indian Listening Conference we
listened to the tribe's concerns," she
said. "We heard what we were doing
right and what we were doing wrong,
and we went back and did our very
best to improve the (Justice)
Department's responsiveness to
tribes."
Reno said the Justice Department
Crime cont'd on pg 5
American Indian call-in show hit the air
By Eddie Pells
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ At
15 past the hour, the red light flashed,
the phone blared and Ron from Rapid
City took the traditional Indian
Talking Circle around the nation.
The South Dakota caller was the
first for "Native America Calling," a
radio talk show that debuted Monday,
co-produced by the Alaska Public
Radio Network. Four ofthe 14 radio
stations airing the program are in
Alaska.
Producers say the program
scheduled for Monday-Friday is
designed to be the first national talk
show devoted exclusively to American
Indian issues.
In the traditional Talking Circle,
tribal members sit around a circle and
pass a feather. The one holding the
feather gets to talk about anything.
On Monday, the telephone replaced
the feather, and callers were able to
talk to Assistant Interior Secretary
for Indian Affairs Ada Deer, the
show's first guest.
The first 15 minutes went without a
call. It was nerve wracking for the
host, George Tiger. He tripped over
some promotional material and later
admitted he talked too fast as he
r
struggled to keep moving a choppy
conversation with Deer, who was in
Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, producer Pamila
Belgarde implored Tiger to "Give
'em the number, give 'em the number,
you're not giving 'em the number
enough."
Then Rapid City Ron called 1-800-
99-NATIVE. He was listening to the
program on KILI-AM out of
Porcupine, S.D., one ofthe 14 stations
in seven states that carried the debut
program.
Ron wanted to talk about the future
Radio cont'd on pg 3