Facebook Twitter Email
AUGUST 28, 2000

Three members of the Pine Ridge Tribal Council in South Dakota are among nine indicted for allegedly defrauding the tribal housing program, which gets its funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Records from the Oglala Sioux Housing Authority office were among those seized when the Grass Roots Oyate took over tribal headquarters on the reservation in protest of government corruption. The group is calling for the suspension of the tribal council members indicted.

Among those charged are Marlin Weston, Gerald Big Crow, and Manual Fool Head, all council members. The remaining are spouses of the three as well as Paul Iron Cloud, chief executive officer of the housing program, and Ted Pedregon, a tribal housing employee, and his spouse.

The charges come just as HUD has released a report detailing progress on the reservation, including in housing.

Get the Story:
Oglala Tribal Council members indicted on federal fraud charges (AP 8/28)
9 Indicted in Pine Ridge Housing Program (The Omaha World Herald 8/26)
Press Release 8/25 (Grass Roots Oyate 8/25)

Relevant Links:
Shared Visions: Pine Ridge -- a year later Sharing The Dream - www.hud.gov/pressrel/pineridge/pineridge.html The Official Homepage of the Grass Roots Oyate - members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate

Related Stories:
HUD releases Pine Ridge Report (Enviro 08/04)
Pine Ridge council adapts (Tribal Law 06/20)