Audit finds Indian trust management problems

Monday, September 24, 2007  

A new audit finds problems with the management of Indian trust land in Palm Springs, California.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't track lease payments and did not enforce leases for land owned by members of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Interior Department's Inspector General said. Some land was leased at below market value because the landowners "just didn't care," according to the audit.

The report was released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The group says Robert McCarthy, a field solicitor in southern California, is being fired because he blew the whistle on trust mismanagement problems in Palm Springs.

McCarthy is due to testify at the upcoming Cobell historical accounting trial.

Get the Story:
Press Release: AGENCY AUDIT VERIFIES WHISTLEBLOWER MISMANAGEMENT CHARGES (Peer 9/24)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Kempthorne - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm

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