Spirit Lake Tribal Officer Found Guilty of Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on Jan. 25, 2012, Justin Yankton, 38, of Fort Totten, N.D., was found guilty by a 12-person jury of theft
and embezzlement from an Indian Tribal organization. U.S. District Judge
Ralph R. Erickson presided over the two-day trial.
Yankton and Brooke Black, together with their children, shared a residence in
Fort Totten. Brooke Black applied to receive benefits meant for the low income and
poverty level homes of the reservation. In that application, Black omitted the name and
income of Yankton. Because of this omission, the home qualified to receive home heating
financial assistance. Justin Yankton, as the secretary/treasurer of the Spirit Lake Tribal
Council, knew the household was improperly receiving fuel assistance and at times
actually ordered fuel to be delivered under Black’s account. The incidents occurred from
October 2008 through March 2011on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
The charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sentencing for Yankton has been scheduled for April 23, 2012, in U.S. District
Court in Fargo, N.D., at 1:30 p.m.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janice M. Morley and Brett Shasky prosecuted the case.
