New housing construction by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Photo from Lumbee Housing Department
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been ordered to repay nearly $445,000 in Indian housing funds, The Fayetteville Observer reported. The tribe misspent its Indian Housing Block Grant on stipends for council members, gasoline, legal fees and powwow expenses, according to an audit obtained by the paper. The bulk of the amount -- nearly $417,000 -- went to council members.
"It breaks my heart," council member Terry Campbell, who reviewed a draft of the audit, told the paper. "My people suffer from this. They deprived low-income housing assistance to people."
The tribe hasn't been given a deadline to repay, the paper said. Get the Story:HUD audit says Lumbee Tribe must repay more than $450,000 (The Fayetteville Observer 6/18)
Tribe ordered to repay $450,000 (The Robesonian 6/18)
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