Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 26 June 2018

APNewsBreak:

Montana tribe can’t

account for $14.5M

By MATTHEW BROWN investigators wrote in Mon-
Associated Press day’s report.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — “They all stated that the
Montana’s Crow Indian records have not been
Tribe has been unable to located. Therefore, we
account for $14.5 million it question the total amount
received for transportation of the agreement’s
programs, marking the $14,492,813.”
second time in less than Most of the money was re-
two years the tribe has ceived by the tribe under
been faulted for its han- the leadership of former
dling of federal grant mon- Chairman Darrin Old Coy-
ey, government investiga- ote. Old Coyote lost in the
tors disclosed Monday. 2016 election and was re-
The finding from the U.S. placed by current Chair-
Interior Department’s Of- man A.J. Not Afraid Jr in
fice of Inspector General December, 2016.
resulted from an audit of Old Coyote did not imme-
a contract that provided diately return telephone
federal money to build messages seeking com-
and maintain highways, ment.
bridges and transit facilities A spokeswoman for Not
on the tribe’s southeastern Afraid, Jared Stewart, said In this Dec. 3, 2012 file photo, Darrin Old Coyote, then chairman of the Crow Tribe, leads riders past
Montana reservation. he did not have an imme- Veterans Park as Crow Tribe members gather for the inaugural parade in Crow Agency, Mont.
Associated Press
The audit obtained by The diate response to the au-
Associated Press showed dit. latest Inspector General’s spending during 2016, track spending of federal
the tribe was unable to The tribe could be forced report that it had designat- according to an April re- money going forward, ac-
provide documentation to repay some or all of the ed the Crow Tribe as “high sponse to the Inspector cording to Messerly.
on payments it made to money if cannot docu- risk,” meaning it can now General’s Office audit But the Inspector Gen-
subcontractors and ven- ment where it went. receive government mon- from Susan Messerly, act- eral’s Office said Monday
dors between October 1, In 2016 the tribe had to ey on a reimbursable basis ing bureau director for the that the steps taken by the
2012 and March 31, 2017. repay more than $2 mil- only and not in advance. Rocky Mountain region. bureau to date have been
Investigators could not de- lion to the federal govern- The bureau also imposed The tribe has hired a new inadequate because of-
termine what happened ment after an earlier audit sanctions that limit grant team of certified public ficials did not include tar-
to the money. revealed tribal officials di- funds to monthly install- accountants to determine get dates for proposed
They faulted the tribe for verted money meant for a ments until the tribe com- what happened to the changes to the tribe’s ac-
having “deficient internal new transit facility into the pletes its own audit of $14.5 million and to better counting system.q
controls” over the money tribe’s general budget.
and said its accounting In that instance, investi-
system was inadequate to gators from the Inspector
handle federal funds. General’s Office said offi-
“We requested the nec- cials with the Bureau of In-
essary documentation dian Affairs knew the mon-
numerous times during ey from a 2012 transpor-
two site visits, and through tation grant was misspent
emails to the finance and but failed to take action.
legal departments and The Bureau of Indian Af-
the chairman of the Tribe,” fairs said in response to the