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Northern Ute leader wants more data on finances


A leader of the Northern Ute Tribe of Utah wants the tribe to share more information about the tribe's finances.

But Irene Cuch, a tribal council member, would like to find out herself too. She says the tribe's non-Indian advisers don't offer much about the tribe's financial state.

"How much are we spending? How much are the investors making off the income they are providing on our behalf? It makes me wonder how much are we paying off before we get the balance," she tells The Deseret Morning News.

The tribe has at least $270 million in investments. About $170 million is in private accounts and about $107 million is in an account with the Office of Special Trustee.

Cuch said OST has provided plenty of information about the tribe's money. Individual tribal members have been given financial statements and have been told how the money is being invested.

The same can't be said of John Jurrius, the tribe's main adviser, according to Cuch. He pressed the tribe to withdraw its OST money, saying the tribe could earn more in a private account. Jurrius is non-Indian.

Get the Story:
Ute leader 'in dark' on finances (The Deseret Morning News 7/6)

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