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Crow Creek Sioux Tribe

Fort Thompson, SD 2014--2019 Tribal Governments
DOJ FBI Embezzlement Theft_from_indian_tribal_organization
Penalty
$1 million

Outcome

Six former Crow Creek Sioux Tribe officials — including the tribal chair, treasurer, and four councilmembers — were convicted and sentenced for embezzling approximately $1 million from the tribe between 2014 and 2019; tribal treasurer Roland Hawk received 42 months in prison, former chair Brandon Sazue received 3 months plus 3 years supervised release.

Details

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe — Six-Official Embezzlement Ring (2014–2019)

Outcome: Six former Crow Creek Sioux Tribe officials — including the tribal chair, treasurer, and four elected councilmembers — pleaded guilty to embezzling approximately $1 million from the tribe over five years, with sentences ranging from 3 months to 42 months in federal prison.

From March 2014 through February 2019, Brandon Sazue (tribal chair), Roland Robert Hawk Sr. (tribal treasurer), Francine Maria Middletent (councilmember), and three additional elected councilmembers conspired to embezzle, steal, willfully misapply, and convert approximately $1,000,000 belonging to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe.

Six former tribal officials pleaded guilty to Embezzlement from an Indian Tribal Organization and Aiding and Abetting. Sentences handed down in May and June 2020:

  • Roland Robert Hawk Sr. (former treasurer): 42 months imprisonment, $325,762.50 restitution
  • Francine Maria Middletent (former councilmember): 30 months imprisonment, $273,817 restitution
  • Brandon Sazue (former tribal chair): 3 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, $17,330 restitution
  • Additional council members received varying sentences and restitution orders
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota as part of the Guardians Project federal initiative targeting public corruption and theft on tribal lands.

Primary Source: Former Tribal Chair & Former Councilmember Sentenced for Embezzlement Scheme

How Crucible Prevents This

The Crow Creek scheme involved six elected officials across all levels of tribal governance simultaneously — chair, treasurer, and four council members. This breadth indicates a total absence of independent financial oversight. Crucible's segregation-of-duties enforcement hook ensures no single official (or cohort) can control both authorization and disbursement. A tribal financial audit trigger requiring independent review when cumulative unbudgeted disbursements exceed a threshold would have surfaced the $1 million theft long before 2019.

Source: Former Tribal Chair & Former Councilmember Sentenced for Embezzlement Scheme

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