By Evelyn Red Lodge
Native Sun News Correspondent Minneapolis — The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the 2011 conviction of former Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Chairman Duane Dale Big Eagle for bribery charges involving tribal funds -- in connection to the same bribery scandal that ensnared three CCST council members in 2009. Filed on the 10th, court documents affirm Big Eagle guilty of “conspiracy to commit bribery of an Indian tribal official, and aiding and abetting a bribery involving an agent of an Indian tribal government.” CCST’s government is comprised of the chairman and six council members who, in addition, make up the Crow Creek Tribal School Board. Court documents say the scheme worked like this. “While Big Eagle was chairman (2002-2006), and also at other times, Big Eagle and other tribal council members accepted bribes from construction contractors in exchange for lucrative contracts from the tribe” for work done at the CCST Schools. However, Big Eagle is not the only one to be convicted for basically the same schemes. In 2007, Richard Dean Baysinger was indicted on mail fraud and money laundering. Through court documents it was found Baysinger was basically used as a pawn in a larger corruption scandal at the CCST Schools. As a subordinate to then superintendent Scott Raue, Baysinger was directed to obtain payment from the school for work that was not done, according to Federal District Court testimony. Also in the district court records, once understanding the scope of the case, the presiding federal district judge, Charles B. Kornmann had this to say: “This is apparently some kind of a conspiracy to defraud the taxpayers, since the taxpayers would be paying for the school, then apparently this money winds up -- or most of it winds up in the hands of Scott Raue. I, frankly, cannot imagine anybody that would be that low to steal money from school children, but apparently that's what happened here.” “I don't know how many fraud cases I've seen from Crow Creek. I think they have more fraud cases there than all of the other reservations put together,” added Kornmann almost prophetically. The following year, in 2008, indictments on 55 counts of theft and bribery for defendants; Edwin Lee Patzer, Scott Raue, John Nystrom, Patsy Hawk, and Brady Hastings – were filed in federal court. As in the Baysinger case, the fraudulent actions of the defendants involved payments from the tribe/school to a contractor for work that was not done. In this case the contractor was Patzer, and the kick-backs went to the tribal officials. Again in 2009, bribery charges hit the federal court. This time, Archie Bauman was the contractor, and the tribal officials were: Norman Thompson, and Sr., Randy Shields. CCST resident Thomas Thompson was also involved. Thus far, all mentioned defendants received sentencing. The year 2010 was again marred by scandal when Big Eagle was indicted for his alleged part in a bribery/kick-back scam. Big Eagle is currently ordered to serve 36-months imprisonment. (Contact Evelyn Red Lodge at welakota@yahoo.com)
8th Circuit Decision:
US v.
Big Eagle (January 10, 2013)
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