Tex Hall, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, was an alleged target of a murder-for-hire plot that authorities have linked to the booming energy industry in North Dakota, KXLY reports.

In addition to leading his tribe, Hall owns Maheshu Energy, a company that provides oilfield services on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Three of his employees are being investigated for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from the business, KXLY reports.

One of those employees was James Henrikson, who allegedly asked a fellow employee, Eric Guerrero, whether he knew someone who could kill Hall. Guerrero, who has been linked to the Mexican Mafia gang, denied the claim and has refused to cooperate with authorities, KXLY reports.

Meanwhile, Henrikson has been questioned in connection with a murder of a former partner who also did business on the reservation. The victim, Doug Carlile, was killed last month at his home in Spokane, Washington.

Authorities in Washington have charged Timothy Suckow -- an associate of Henrikson's -- with first-degree murder. In the days before his death, Carlile expressed concerns about his safety.

"If I disappear or wake up with bullets in my back, promise me you will let everyone know that James Henrikson did it," Carlile told family members, KXLY reports.

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Bad blood, black gold and the death of Doug Carlile (KXLY 1/15)