Tex Hall, the chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota, is declining to comment on allegations that he was the target of a murder-for-hire plot.

Hall owns a company, Maheshu Energy, that did business with a man who was murdered in Washington last month. The crime has been linked to James Henrikson, a felon who also did business with Hall and who allegedly tried to recruit someone to kill Hall.

Henrikson has not been charged in connection with Doug Carlile's murder. But he has legal troubles of his own -- he appeared in court in North Dakota on Tuesday for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Hall isn't talking about the matter but members of the tribal council issued a statement that said Henrikson never had direct dealings with the tribe.

“At no time has the nation engaged or contracted with any of the companies or individuals mentioned in recent news accounts,” the tribal council said in a press release.

Get the Story:
Three Affiliated Tribes deny relationship with Henrikson (The Bismarck Tribune 1/22)
Henrikson makes first court appearance on weapons charge (The Bismarck Tribune 1/21)
ND tribe says it had no dealings with Henrikson (AP 1/22)

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Alleged gang member denies being asked to kill Tex Hall (1/15)