The federal government can't locate more than 30,000 Indian beneficiaries who are owed a portion of the $3.4 billion Cobell trust fund settlement.

Some beneficiaries are entitled to a significant amount of money. One member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes is owed about $121,000 while someone from the Quechan Tribe is owed more than $81,000.

“Historically, there is no question that the government mismanaged these accounts and should have known where these people were,” David Smith, an attorney who helped handle the settlement, told The New York Times.

In total, about $32 million is owed to Indian beneficiaries whose whereabouts are unknown. Some might find their name on the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians website.

Get the Story:
Government Owes 30,000 Indians Royalties for Land but Can’t Find Them (The New York Times 1/10)

Related Stories:
Fraud warning issued for beneficiaries of Cobell settlement (01/02)
S.E. Ruckman: Delay in Cobell settlement hits Indian Country (12/13)
Jay Daniels: BIA gets an 'F' for handling of Cobell settlement (12/13)
Navajo beneficiaries expected to receive $49.5M Cobell payout (12/4)
Delay in Cobell settlement payout prompts protest in Oklahoma (12/3)
Second Cobell payment won't be mailed out before Christmas(12/2)