A man from the Crow Reservation in Montana was sentenced to two years of federal probation for taking part in a kickback scheme that defrauded the Crow Tribe.

Elliot Mountain Sheep, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of theft from a tribal organization. He accepted tribal money for a bogus contract. The money was then funneled to the legal defense of former Crow chairman Clifford Bird in Ground, who was under indictment on bribery charges and later pleaded guilty.

The sentence was the first U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull issued since the U.S. Supreme Court held that the federal sentencing guidelines are not mandatory. Cebull and lawyers in the case said the decision wasn't a factor in the sentence.

Get the Story:
Embezzler put on probation (The Billings Gazette 1/13)

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