Three Members of the Spirit Lake Tribe Sentenced for Embezzlement
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on July 12, 2012,Bruce Walking Eagle, Rochelle Walking Eagle, and Lorna Walking Eagle of
Fort Totten, N.D., were each sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on a
charge of embezzlement from an Indian Tribal Organization.
All three Walking Eagles pleaded guilty on March 14, 2012, to illegally accepting
benefits from the Spirit Lake Vocational Rehabilitation Program when they were not
entitled to receive such benefits.
Judge Erickson sentenced each defendant to two years’ probation and to pay a
$25 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund. The defendants were ordered to pay
restitution in the following amounts: Bruce Walking Eagle, $7,435.18; Rochelle Walking
Eagle, $2,000; and Lorna Walking Eagle, $6,588.25.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case.
