Bradford: Saginaw Chippewa man battles 'fictitious' Indians

Opinion

Monday, May 17, 2010

"Two decades of fighting corruption on his Indian reservation and challenging the fictitious Natives who have infiltrated his tribe has not slowed down Gary Sprague, the brother of the Saginaw Chippewa SubChief who provided false testimony against Republican superlobbyist Jack Abramoff in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. His outspokenness has landed him in court after he complained about corruption within his Tribal Council to his personal physician last year

Sprague's trial, which is expected to last ten hours, is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 am. The tribal court is situated at Leaton and Broadway, across the street from the Tribal Operations building, on the Mt. Pleasant reservation of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.

“If our tribal members truly want to get their tribe back, they can attend the trial and see who is brought to court to oppose me and the rest of the 39 group,” said Sprague, referencing the tribe's founding families. “You will see who wants me – and the rest of the Original 39 -- out of the way. The majority of my detractors don't belong to this tribe, as we have proven with documentation. They think our money is theirs and are trying to remove the real Indians from their own tribe.”

Among the witnesses expected to testify against Sprague are Council Members who served in the previous administration of Chief Fred Cantu, including Ruth Moses, Audrey Falcon, Michelle Stanley, Ron Nelson, and Gail George.

His accusers are those whom Sprague has investigated in the past for membership fraud, embezzlement, and other infractions. It is unknown, he said, how many millions, if not billions, of dollars have been looted from tribal treasuries since the fictitious Indians took over his tribe."

Get the Story:
Susan Bradford: Abramoff Witness Faces Accusers in Tribal Court (The Conservative Camp 5/16)