Willie Frank, left, with his father, the late Billy Frank Jr., and Fran Wilshusen. Photo by Peggan Hines via Make No Bones About It

William Frank, the vice chairman of the Nisqually Tribe of Washington, awaits sentencing on theft charges.

Frank pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft. He admitted that he took more than $50,000 from two tribal accounts during the throes of a substance abuse addiction.

"I am a drug addict. I have been drug-free for a year. I will be drug free for the rest of my life," Frank said in a statement posted by The Olympian.

Frank said he repaid the money he took from the tribe before entering a substance abuse treatment program. He has since been working with Native youth in order to steer them away from the choices he made.

"They know the message I deliver is from the heart. They know I know what I'm talking about when I tell the real story about addiction -- how it can grab a person and ruin his or her life," Frank wrote.

Frank also pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree attempted theft in another case. Authorities said he entered two banks with the intent of robbing them but he never followed through.

"I was not my parents' son when I entered those banks in July of 2014," Frank wrote. "I was deep in debt and I needed money to buy more drugs. That's all that mattered. "

Frank is the son of the late treaty rights advocate Billy Frank Jr. The thefts from the tribal bank accounts occurred as the elder Frank's health began declining prior to his death in May 2014. The attempted bank robberies occurred afterward.

"I have told [youth] the truth about what happened in my life, assured them that if it can happen to me -- the vice chairman of my tribe, and the son of the legendary Billy Frank, Jr., and someone who had loving, caring parents, it can happen to anyone," Frank wrote.

Sentencing in both cases is scheduled for Friday, The Olympian reported.

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Sentencing delayed for Nisqually vice chairman Willie Frank (The Olympian 11/10)

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