Van Buren Man Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement From Tribal Organization

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jessie Lee Ross, age 44, of Van Buren, Arkansas, pled guilty to Embezzlement And Theft From Indian Tribal Organization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1163, punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000.00 fine, or both. 
                
The Indictment alleged that from on or about September 1, 2014 to on or about September 25, 2014, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did steal, embezzle and knowingly and willfully convert to her own use goods, assets, and other property, with a value in excess of $1,000.00, which had been entrusted to her custody and care as an employee of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Casino gift shop, an Indian tribal organization.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Choctaw Nation Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. 

Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States.