OIG investigated allegations that Karla MacCatherine, former comptroller for the Crow Tribe, embezzled funds from the Tribe by submitting false timesheets for payment. In addition, we investigated allegations that a former accountant for the Tribe awarded herself a sole source employment contract and misused her authority to benefit her friends.
Our investigation confirmed that MacCatherine falsified her timesheets and was paid for hours she did not work. She pled guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana to a single count in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1163 - theft from an Indian tribal organization, was sentenced to probation of 2 years, and ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution.
We found no evidence to substantiate the allegations against the former accountant.