The former spokesperson of the Blackfeet Nation has been indicted for allegedly stealing federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated to the tribe. The charges were filed in U.S. District Court on Oct. 25.
Charging documents said James McNeely stole over $78,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds from Oct. 2021-Oct. 2022.
McNeely is charged with wire fraud, stealing from a tribal government receiving federal funds and stealing from a tribal organization. The federal government alleged McNeely submitted fake reimbursement vouchers for COVID-19 supplies from Amazon, but actually pocketed the repayment amounts.
Court documents said McNeely “used and submitted photographs of his Amazon shopping cart and quotes from a local business” to make the claims appear legitimate to the tribe.
If indicted on multiple counts, McNeely could face several decades in prison and close to a million dollars in fines.
