John "Chance" Houle

John “Chance” Houle, a former chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Montana, pleaded guilty to bribery, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion charges on Monday.

Houle, 50, admitted he accepted bribes and kickbacks from companies and vendors that did business with the tribe. The Associated Press put the figure at $412,563 -- money that went unreported on his federal income tax forms.

Houle is due to be sentenced on March 19, 2015. He has agreed to pay $121,000 in restitution and his attorney will try to limit any prison time.

“Chance is an individual who did a lot for his community,” attorney Jason Holden told the AP. “We hope to show the judge that regardless of these criminal convictions for which he is fully accepting responsibility, he should be sentenced appropriately.”

As part of the Guardians Project, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana has indicted at least a dozen tribal leaders, employees and associates in connection with a large corruption investigation on the reservation.

Get the Story:
Rocky Boy embezzler pleads guilty (The Havre Daily News 12/9)
More plea deals struck in tribal corruption case (AP 12/8)
Houle pleads guilty to bribery, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion (KRTV 12/8)

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