A member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe of Nevada has been charged with criminal defamation in tribal court for an e-mail that criticized a tribal employee.

Patty Hicks says the case is being pushed through because she led a recall effort against two council members. She believes the tribe is mismanaging federal funds for work being done to rebuild the Weber Dam.

The tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs say there is no record of wrongdoing. The employee whom Hicks criticized filed the criminal complaint. Hicks will go to trial January 23.

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Libel law ensnares woman (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 1/6)