Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1999-07-02

              ■ •   -     -.   .
■
-
Focus on treaty
rights is a
diversion from
the real
problem, pg. 4
Foster parents
needed - News
Tidbits, pg. 3
Hudson Casino
case heating up -
- two articles,
P9-1
Sources allege
internal theft and
misapplication of
funds at two
Native American
non-profits, pg. 1
Commentary:
Leech Lake Band
of Chippewa
should secede
from MN
Chippewa Tribe,
P9-4
Listing of
Pow-wows
& summer
events, pg. 5
Crow tribal elder alleges extortion
and bribery in RICO lawsuit
Voice ofthe People
web page:   www.press-on.net
i
by Catherine Carbajal
Freelance Writer
CROW AGENCY, MT -
DeWitt A. Dillon, Jr. alleges
extortion and bribery in a civil
racketeering, RICO Complaint
filed in Washington D.C, United
States District Court in late March,
1999, Case number 99-
0717EGS, against Bruce Babbitt,
Secretary of the Interior, Clara
Whitehip Nomee, and local
Montana BIA officials, who are
named in Mr. Dillon's Complaint
as "the Enterprise." The Crow
Tribal attorneys are also named in
the Complaint. When called for
comment, Mr. Tom Fredricks of
the law firm, Fredricks, Pelcyger,
Hester & White, stated, "It's a
frivolous lawsuitand we will move
to dismiss it."
Mr. DeWitt Dillon and all others
similarly situated (enrolled
members ofthe Crow Tribe), the
plaintiffs, filed the complaint for
declaratory judgement which
seeks injunctive relief and damages
pursuant to Racketeer Influenced
and Corrupt Organizations Act
(RICO) against the named
defendants. Bruce Babbitt, the
Secretary ofthe Department of
the Interior, was named as agent
ofthe United States Government,
and a spokesperson for the
Assistant Secretary informed us,
"We don'tmake statements to the
press when we are in the middle of
litigation." Keith Beartusk, Area
DirectoroftheBillingsAreaOffice,
Department ofthe Interior was
also not available for comment.
Richard Whitesell was named
individually and as agent ofthe
Bureau oflndian Affairs in the
Complaint. When asked for a
statement, Mr. Whitesell said, "I
have read the Complaint. This is a
difference in opinion and
philosophy. I was doing my job."
He has requested representation
from the Department of Justice.
When called forcomment, Clara
RICO/topg.3
Natm
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Founded  in 1988      Volume 11   Issue 38
July 2, 1999
A weekly publication.        Copyright, Native American Press, 1999
1
Hudson casino case in final
stages, independent counsel says    *
Excerpted from Greg Gordon
Mpls. Star Tribune,
Wash., D.C. office,
June 30,1999
An independent counsel says
she is in the "final, critical stage" of
her investigation into whether
campaign money influenced the
Interior Department's 1995
decision to reject aproposed tribal
casino in Hudson, Wis.
Independent Counsel Carol
Elder Bruce said she should have
the fact-gathering completed by
Aug. 16 in her sweeping inquiry,
which was triggered by perjury
allegations against Interior
Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Bruce
said that she will decide then
whether to seek indictments....
Bruce disclosed the status of her
14-month-old inquiry in a letter
seeking an additional 60-day delay
inafederal court suit in which three
Wisconsin Chippewa bands, who
sought approval for the Hudson
casino, seek to overturn the Interior
Department's decision....
In her letter, which was slipped
into a court file with little notice,
Bruce said she remains worried
that the overlap in witnesses and
documents in the civil case could
compromise her inquiry.
"We are nearing the end of our
factual investigation and are in the
HudSOn/to pg. 6
Babbitt asked to return for more testimony in
Hudson casino case
By Greg Gordon
Mpls. Star Tribune,
Wash., D.C. office
Thursday, July 1,1999
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt
spent a full day answering
questions on Wednesday before a
federal grand jury investigating
alleged political interference in his
department's rejection of a tribal
casino in Hudson, Wis.
A lawyer for Babbitt, Stephen
Sachs, said the Cabinet officer
was asked to return for more
testimony next week in the inquiry
led by independent counsel Carol
ElderBruce.
Babbitt "appeared voluntarily,
and he answered each and every
question posed by the grand j urors
and Ms. Bruce's lawyers, and
regarded the entire episode as
handledextremelyprofessionally,"
Sachs said.
Babbitt's initial grand jury
appearance in the 14-month-old
inquiry came in the final hours
before the expiration of a21 -year-
old lawcallingforthe appointment
of independent counsels to
investigate senior administration
officials.
The statute, however, allows Bruce
Babbit/to pg. 3
Artists from the Native Arts Circle participated in a workshop at the Walker Art Center on June
26. Anthony White (Red Lake Band of Chippewa) taught the group a print-making technique to
make "monoprints." Pictured left to right: Tom Thein, Missy White Man, Steve Premo, Carla
McGraw (Walker Art Center), Ernie White Man (Chair, Native Arts Circle), Anthony White
(Instructor), Adonijah Espinosa, Juanita Espinosa and Morgan Thorson.
Sources allege internal theft and
misapplication of funds at two
Native American non-profits
Bootlegging allows alcohol to flow
freely on Navajo lands
CHINLE, Ariz. (AP) ~ All
25,000 square miles ofthe Navajo
Reservation are dry — at least on
paper.
In reality, 130 yearsofprohibition
on the reservation has not emptied
it of alcohol. Instead, it created a
vast network of illegal booze sales
that spills into three states and
stains just about every community
on the reservation.
Looking for beer in Chinle? Take
your pick of 25 houses and sheds
Ihatoffereverythingfrom individual
cans to malt liquor quarts to 12-
packs of Budweiser and Coors.
Some places offer drive-up
window services that are open
seven days a week, as long as the
proprietor is home.
"It'sreadilyavailableto anyone,"
said Raymond Butler, a Navajo
Nation pol ice 1 ieutenant.'They're
everywhere."
Bootlegging has been around
since the  reservation  was
established in 1868 and liquor
possession and sales were
outlawed. But this month, after
complaints from police that
bootlegging is rampant, the Navajo
Nation Council formedatask force
to study the problem.
The task force, which includes
members from the tribe's
legislature, already has met twice.
President Kelsey Begaye, a
By Gary Blair
An unnamed staff member and a former board
memberoftwodifferenttwincitiesnon-profitNative
American agencies alleged this week that funds are
missing from both organizations.
The source said Women of Nations battered
women's shelter located in St. Paul, MN has an
undisclosed amountofmoneymissingfromitsculture
program and one staff member has been terminated
as a result. A former board member at Center
School (a south Minneapolis alternative school) says
she resigned May 2,1999, after allegations surfaced
that funds were missing from the school. Reports of
funds being taken aren't new to either organization.
Women of Nations
Women of Nations' director Ellie Favel said on
Wednesday June 30 that she was not allowed to
comment on the theft allegations: "I can' t say whether
there has been a theft or not. The board wouldn't
allowed me to say."
However, Favel did say that she would be willing
to offer an interview and explain her personal
philosophy and not necessarily the organization's
position on what she believes is needed in the Indian
community. "I've only been the director here for
seven months, but I believe there are more Indian
women and their children receiving services here
now than before," she said.
Favel refused to comment on allegations that funds
were reported missing before at the Women of
Nations program. She says she helped start the
organization over 10 years ago. "I was their 'go-fer.'
I did things that needed doing to help the place get
started," she said in a June 3 0 interview.
No charges were brought in the earlier alleged
incident of theft. The agency's director at the time
resigned shortly after the accusations of theft were
made.
Center School
Over $23,000 is reported missing at Center School.
A former director's girl friend who worked in the
school's accounting office is alleged to have written
double checks to her boyfriend. Steve Chapman, the
Funds/to pg. 5
Olympian searches out sponsors for
Bootiegging/to Pg a  American Indian athletes
Babbitt says new system historic
By Bob Anez
Associated Press Writer
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -
ClaimsthatthelnteriorDepartment
mismanagedbillionsofdollars in
Indian funds are "wildly
overstated," Interior Secretary
Bruce Babbitt said as he unveiled
anew computer system for tracking
the trust accounts.
The $60 million project,
introduced intheBureauoflndian
Affairs office here, is meant to
address decades of
mismanagement ofthe accounts
containing money from leases and
royalties on Indian land and from
court settlements.
The inauguration of the Trust
Asset and Accounting
Management System comes as
the government is defending itself
in a class-action lawsuit filed by
some account holders claiming the
mishandling ofthe accounts has
resulted in underpayments to
Indians.
Babbitt said estimates of the
money the government may owe
Indians are less important than the
Interior Department meeting its
trust commitments.
"I don't know if it's $10million
or $100 million," he said. "The
dollar figures are manageable."
The BIA handles 300,000
Historic/to pg. 5
By Jeanne Grimes
The Lawton Constitution
LAWTON, Okla. (AP) ~ Once
he pounded a track 10,000 meters
long to win Olympic gold.
Today, Billy Mills pounds the
pavement searching out sponsors
willingto invest in young American
Indians with Olympic-sized talent
in track and field events. It is, he
says, a race against time_perhaps
the most important of his life and
the stopwatch is ticking.
He calls it "trying to dance the
deeds of our young Indian athletes."
Too often, Mills said, the
Olympian dreams of American
Indian athletes stall in the starting
blocks because there is no one
willing to take up the financial
burden that will allow them to train
full time.
The cost is modest when
compared to the gains. Mills said
$ 144,000 will sponsor eight track
and field stars who have the skills
to win medals in the 2000 Olympics
at Sydney, Australia.
The eight make up the Native
American Sports Council's Elite
Athletes Program. The council,
which Mills represents, is a multilevel community-based sports
organization under the U.S.
Olympic Committee and promotes
the Native American Training
Initiative.
Mills was recently in Oklahoma
City at the invitation ofthe Caddo
Indian Tribe of Oklahoma to
discuss NASC and the Native
American Training Initiative with
representatives of Southwest
Oklahoma's seven Indian tribes.
He serves on the board ofNASC,
and also helps to raise funds for
Running Strong for American
Indian Youth, a program which
Olympian/to pg. 8