"Gary Sprague, the brother of the Saginaw Chippewa SubChief, who provided false testimony against superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, faces more legal hurdles ahead as he prepares for court over 12 counts of the “crime of threat and intimidation” after he confiding in his tribal clinic doctor last year that he was dissatisfied with the previous Council of Chief Frederico Cantu, who was then in power. “There is no basis for these charges against Gary, given that he was merely voicing his private sentiments to his personal doctor,” said a former attorney who represented the tribe nearly a decade ago. “It appears that they are trying to set him up with charges based upon hearsay. I always remembered Gary as a good guy and would take his case in an instant if he could pay me.”

However, Sprague, who has been denied employment on the reservation over what he believes to be retaliation for challenging the tribal membership credentials of fictitious Indians, cannot afford an attorney. A simple man who cherishes traditional Indian values, Sprague is currently living on modest per capita payments, derived from the tribe's Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort and other businesses. Sprague's wife, who qualifies for membership, supplements their income with an outside job. “My wife has been denied per cap because she is with me,” Sprague said. “They are trying to get to me by denying her money.”

Sprague's case is not unusual on Indian reservations across the nation where tribal members, despite being citizens of the United States, are routinely denied their constitutional rights. The charges brought against Sprague also appear to violate the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, which specifically states that “no Indian tribe in exercising powers of self-government shall make or enforce any law...abridging the freedom of speech.” Yet traditional Indians who have voiced opposition against fictitious Indians, who have taken over their tribe, have overheard tribal police say, “now that we got Gary, we are going to get the rest of them.”

By rampaging through his house on trumped up charges, the tribal police may also have breached the Act's stipulation that a tribal government cannot “violate the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.” Yet, other Indians on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian reservations have reported similar violations at the hands of the tribal police, who have demanded access into homes without search warrants and have seized personal property without explanation. “When they searched my house, they found nothing,” Sprague said. “They were looking for a hit list.”"

Get the Story:
Susan Bradford: Gary Sprague Prepares for Tribal Court to Fight a Possible (The Conservative Camp 4/11)

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