FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 18, 2012, Raymond Jetty III, of St. Michael, North Dakota, was sentenced before United States District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on two separate incidents of embezzlement from an Indian Tribal Organization. Jetty III, 39, pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 12, 2011.

Judge Erickson sentenced Jetty III to two years of supervised probation. Jetty III was ordered to pay restitution totaling $41,057.32, and to pay a $50 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.

Jetty III was charged with embezzlement from the Spirit Lake Tribe’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program (Voc-ReHab). Jetty III admitted that he allowed his wife, who was employed by Voc-ReHab, to use and sign his name to requests to illegally obtain financial benefits of $35,412.77, that he was not entitled to receive.

Jetty III was also charged with theft and embezzlement from a second Indian tribal organization, the Spirit Lake Tribe’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

In pleading guilty to this second charge, Jetty III admitted that he knew a heating assistance application for his household failed to include the total income of his household as is required on the application for eligibility. The failure to include household members and total income caused Jetty III’s household to illegally receive heating assistance of $5,644.55, which he would otherwise not have been entitled.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case.

 

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