Law

Four family members sentenced for theft from reservation town


A view of Brockton, Montana, on the Fort Peck Reservation. Photo from Facebook

Four family members -- the parents and two children -- were sentenced to federal prison for stealing more than $132,000 from a town on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana.

Desiree Lambert, 59, pleaded guilty to fraud, embezzlement, and aggravated identity theft. She admitted the stole money as the town's business manager and forged checks to herself and members of her family.

Lambert received four years, the longest sentence. Her husband, Bernard, 66, received a 20-month sentence for pleading guilty aiding and abetting the theft

The Fort Peck Reservation is home to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. Desiree and Bernard Lambert were previously convicted for stealing $12,000 from the tribal education department, the U.S. Attorney's Office said last year when the four pleaded guilty.

The case is part of the so-called Guardians Project at the U.S. Attorney's Office. Since 2012, federal prosecutors have indicted more than 70 defendants in corruption probes on reservations throughout the state, according to the Department of Justice Inspector General.

Get the Story:
4 family members get prison in Fort Peck corruption case (AP 3/15)

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Family members plead guilty to thefts from reservation town (11/25)
Six people indicted as Guardians Project continues in Montana (09/24)

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