On Monday, March 26, 2018, it was announced that a Chamberlain, South Dakota woman had been indicted by a federal grand jury for Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. 53-year-old Lana Steele was indicted on March 13, 2018. The defendant appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on March 19, 2018 and pled not guilty. If convicted, the defendant could face a maximum penalty of five years in custody and a fine of $250,000.
The indictment alleges that between November of 2013 and November of 2015, Steele embezzled, stole and willfully misapplied and permitted to be misapplied and converted to her own use more than $1,000 in assets belonging to the Crow Creek District Business Committee. The Committee is an Indian Tribal organization. At this point in time, the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Further details have been made available here.
