Stilwell Man, Woman Plead Guilty To Embezzlement And Theft From Tribal Organization

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that MICHAEL HILARIO MARTINEZ, age 40, and JEANA MARIE MARTINEZ, age 33, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, each pled guilty to one count of EMBEZZLEMENT AND THEFT FROM INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATION, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1163 and 2, punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000.00 fine or both.

The Indictment alleged that from in or about January 2012 to on or about July 3, 2014, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendants, did embezzle, steal, knowingly and willfully convert to their own use, willfully misapply, and willfully permitted to be misapplied, monies, funds, credits, assets, and property, with a value in excess of $1,000.00, which had been entrusted to the custody and care of MICHAEL HILARIO MARTINEZ as an employee of the Cherokee Nation, an Indian tribal organization.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant will remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing.

Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States.