The Department of Interior has been imposing administrative fees on Indian account holders despite claims of Bush administration officials to the contrary.

Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles and his top aide Jim Cason have told tribal leaders and members of Congress that the Indian trust is unique in that no fees are imposed. But records dug up by an Indian family in Oklahoma showed that the Bureau of Indian Affairs took 10 percent from oil royalties throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Special Trustee Ross Swimmer confirmed to TIME Magazine that the fees were imposed. In recent months, he has said he supported the idea of fees. Congress has never authorized Interior to impose them.

Get the Story:
A Trust Betrayed? (TIME 1/26)

Relevant Links:
Office of Special Trustee - http://www.ost.doi.gov
Trust Fix - http://www.trustfix.com
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust

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Tribes and Bush administration still apart on trust (11/20)
Editorial: Indian Country's Ugly Baby (11/05)
Indian employees to lose preference under Bush plan (11/04)
Self-governance tribes fear impact of reorganization (10/09)
Consolidation plan advances at Interior (9/16)