We have a brand new updated website! Click here to check it out!

7 of 9 ex-Winnebago Tribal Council members plead not guilty

Winnebago Indians LogoOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Seven of nine former Winnebago Tribal Council members charged in federal court with theft of tribal funds have pleaded not guilty.

The seven entered pleas in Omaha’s federal court on Monday. They include former council chairman John Blackhawk and former council members Darwin Snyder, Thomas Snowball Jr., Louis Houghton, Lawrence Payer, Charles Aldrich and Ramona Wolfe. Travis Mallory is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 24, and arraignment for Morgan Earth has not yet been set.

Prosecutors say they conspired to enrich themselves by siphoning $327,500 over two years from the tribe’s WinneVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa, in the form of gift certificates and pre-paid debit cards issued by the casino.

Copyright Eagle Radio | FCC Public Files | EEO Public File