Man from 'Northern Cherokee Nation' landed $7.6 million in government contracts

Monday, October 15, 2018  

A man who belongs to the Northern Cherokee Nation, a group that is considered illegitimate by Cherokee people, landed $7.6 million in federal government contracts, The Los Angeles Times reports.

The group lacks federal recognition and state recognition. But the Small Business Administration did not question whether William Wages was actually Native American when it determined that his company qualified for the disadvantaged contracting program, the paper said.

“It’s very much a con,” David Cornsilk, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, told the paper. Cornsilk, who is a well-known genealogist, did not find any of Wages' ancestors on any Cherokee rolls.

Wages happens to be the brother-in-law of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California), who serves as the Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. His company won more than $4 million in contracts at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, which is in the congressman's district, the paper reported.

Still, there was no direct evidence that Wages and his company, which is known as Vortex Construction, benefited from the family connection, based on what has been reported so far by The Times.

“But other than a batting cage we owned and operated together in our 20s I haven’t had interactions with Bill on any of his subsequent business pursuits,” McCarthy told the paper.

McCarthy also said that he always knew that his wife, Judy, who is Wages' sister, claimed Native ancestry "along with other nationalities as well,” the paper reported.

As the Majority Leader in the House, McCarthy has control over which bills come up for passage in the chamber. Since the start of the 115th Congress in January 2018, he has helped a number of pro-tribal measures win approval, almost always without controversy.

None of the Indian bills addressed the 8(a) program at the Small Business Administration. Most dealt with tribal homelands, economic development and related issues.

The Northern Cherokee Nation is based in Missouri. The Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians do not consider the group to be legitimate.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s family benefited from U.S. program for minorities based on disputed ancestry (The Los Angeles Times October 14, 2018)