The logo for the Guardians Project. Image from U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana
A former Bureau of Land Management employee was sentenced to a year in prison in a case that arose as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe into the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Montana. Larry Ray Denny pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, false claims, theft of government property and falsely representing outside income. He admitted that he abandoned his BLM job in Virginia in order to work for the tribe on the Rocky Boy's Reservation. Yet he continued to draw his government salary. Denny's superior, John Grimson Lyon, was convicted of wire fraud, false claims and theft of government property after a trial in March. The jury determined that he covered up for Denny and even made him eligible for a cash award for federal employees. Lyon was sentenced to six months as part of the case. At least 18 people on the Rocky Boy's Reservation have been convicted as part of the investigation. The effort -- known as The Guardians Project in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana -- has put the state on top of a nationwide list of judicial districts with the most government corruption prosecutions. Get the Story:
Former BLM worker sentenced to 1 year for fraud (AP 7/30)
Houle sentenced to 68 months (The Havre Daily News 7/30)
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