Former Spirit Lake Tribal Officer and Employee Sentenced for Illegally Receiving Fuel Assistance
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 23, 2012,Justin Yankton and Brooke Black, of Fort Totten, N.D., were sentenced by U.S. District
Judge Ralph R. Erickson on charges of theft from an Indian Tribal organization.
Yankton, 38, was found guilty by a 12-person jury on Jan. 25, 2012, of theft from
an Indian Tribal organization. Black, 29, pleaded guilty on Jan. 26, 2012, to a
misdemeanor charge.
Judge Erickson sentenced Yankton to two years of probation. Yankton was
ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, to pay restitution of $4,990, joint and several with Black, and
to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund. Yankton was ordered to
complete 200 hours of community service.
Judge Erickson sentenced Black to two years of probation. Black was ordered to pay restitution of $4,990, joint and several with Yankton, and to pay a $25 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund. Black was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service.
Yankton and Black, together with their children, shared a residence in
Fort Totten on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. Black, who was employed with the
Spirit Lake Food Distribution Program, applied to receive financial assistance from the
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHeap). This program is intended to
provide financial assistance during the winter heating season to low income and poverty
level homes of the reservation. In that application, Black purposely omitted the name and
income of Yankton. Because of this omission, the Yankton/Black home illegally qualified
to receive home heating financial assistance. Yankton, as the secretary/treasurer of the
Spirit Lake Tribal Council, knew their 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 2011 on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janice M. Morley and Brett Shasky prosecuted the cases.
