- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Policy and Law
A federal judge sentenced Jessica Engle, former CEO of the Yurok Tribe’s wholly owned telecommunications subsidiary, to two years in prison for embezzling more than $550,000 from the company.
Engle stole nearly all the money held in Yurok Telecommunications Corp.’s bank account between September 2021 and May 2022 and converted it for her own use, according to federal prosecutors. The theft occurred while Engle led the company, which the tribe created and largely funded to provide telecommunications services in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney also sentenced Engle to three years of supervised release and ordered her to pay more than $590,000 in restitution, according to an Aug. 27 release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Engle is scheduled to report to prison Dec. 1.
Engle, 43, of Oregon, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to embezzlement from an Indian tribal organization and theft from programs receiving federal funds. A federal grand jury indicted her in September 2024.
In the sentencing, Chesney described the theft as a “calculated risk” and said it “wasn’t a one-time thing,” according to prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said the theft diverted money from tribal services, including education and health care, and represented a breach of trust.
