The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is $30 million in debt, chairman Lester Thompson Jr. said in a report to tribal members.

"Our tribe is broke, due to excessive spending," the July 16 report stated, according to The Sioux Falls Argus Leader. "All together, the tribe as a whole owes close to $30 million."

The tribe's debts include $4 million in unpaid taxes and fees to the Internal Revenue Service. The may have to close some programs, cut its payroll or get a loan, Thompson said.

More immediately, the tribe is facing a surge in drug-related crime. Thompson said the Bureau of Indian Affairs hasn't provided enough money to police the reservation and maintain the detention facility there, which has been shut down.

Get the Story:
Debt suffocating tribe (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 7/31)

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