A federal jury found a Kansas man who claims he is the leader of a tribe guilty for scamming immigrants with promises of U.S. citizenship.

Malcolm Webber calls himself the Grand Chief Thunderbird IV of the Kaweah Indian Nation. Prosecutors said he sold $600 "tribal membership" cards to immigrants and told them it would help them cross the border and win U.S. citizenship.

"Thousands of people paid for memberships in a fictitious Indian tribe dreamed up by Mr. Webber,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren in a statement. "He gave them the false hope that joining his so-called Kaweah Indian Nation would make them U.S. citizens. The claim he made during trial that he had acted in good faith was not credible.”

A jury agreed that Webber was guilty of six fraud and immigration charges. He was acquitted on one conspiracy count.

Get the Story:
Immigrants were defrauded by citizenship claims of tribal membership, jury says (AP 8/13)

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