The logo for the Guardians Project. Image from U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana
Another defendant has been found guilty as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe affecting the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Montana. After a three-day trial in Montana, John Grimson Lyon was convicted of wire fraud, false claims and theft of government property. He is a former Bureau of Land Management official who covered for a subordinate who left his post in Virginia to do contract work for the tribe. The subordinate, Larry Ray Denny, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, false claims, theft of government property and falsely representing outside income. He received a cash award, authorized by Lyon, despite abandoning his federal job for Montana. “We prosecute people who steal and cheat the taxpayers every day," U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter said in a press release "Federal officials, regardless of their power or position, will be held to the same standard. The jury’s verdict sends a message. ‘It’s not your money. You are trusted to protect it. Do your duty or we will do ours.’” At least 18 people on the Rocky Boy's Reservation have pleaded guilty or have been convicted as part of the investigation. The effort -- known as the The Guardians Project in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana -- has put the state on top of a nationwide list of judicial districts with the most government corruption prosecutions. Get the Story:
US official guilty of covering for ex-worker who kept salary (AP 3/26)
Senior BLM official convicted in Montana for fraud and theft (MTN News 3/26)
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