- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Policy and Law
A former employee of the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Tribal Employment Rights Office was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison for her role in a scheme that diverted more than $4.7 million from the tribe over nearly seven years.
Buffy Redfish, 57, of Rushville, Neb., was sentenced June 29 in U.S. District Court on four counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota. She also was ordered to pay $4,744,415.36 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after completing her prison term.
Federal prosecutors said Redfish worked for the tribe's Tribal Employment Rights Office from 2006 through 2024. Between November 2017 and May 2024, she and a co-defendant diverted contractor fee checks intended for the tribe's general fund by depositing them into the co-defendant's bank account.
Prosecutors said the pair split the proceeds and used the money to purchase homes, vehicles and other personal items.
The Tribal Employment Rights Office administers tribal employment preference requirements for businesses operating on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Redfish was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.
