Flandreau Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization

US Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Marcellaine Wakeman of Flandreau appeared before US Magistrate Judge John E. Simko on February 10, 2011, and pled guilty to an indictment that charged her with Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. The maximum penalty upon conviction is one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.

Between January 2010 and July 2010, Marcellaine Wakeman took a laptop computer, a camcorder, and a camera worth over $400 from the Department of Natural Resources of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and pawned them. The investigation was conducted by the Flandreau Police Department and the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Thomas J. Wright.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for April 15, 2011. The defendant was released on bond pending sentencing.