Former employee indicted for embezzling from federally recognized Tribe

FAIRBANKS, Alaska - A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last month charging a former employee of a federally recognized Tribe located in Western Alaska with embezzling over $88,000 from the Tribal organization.

According to court documents, between January 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2021, Tanya Ablowaluk, 46, of Teller, Alaska, served as the Tribal Coordinator for the Tribe. The Tribe is federally recognized and a member of a nonprofit Tribal consortium.

Between January 2018 and September 2021, against the Tribal consortium's policy and without the Tribe's authorization, Ablowaluk allegedly accessed the Tribe's bank accounts to make over $71,000 in unauthorized direct deposits into her personal bank accounts, over $11,000 in debit card purchases and issued over $5,000 in checks for personal payments.

Ablowaluk is charged with one count of embezzlement from an Indian Tribal organization. Ablowaluk is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Sept. 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge Vince Haecker of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG) Western Region made the announcement.

The DOI OIG Western Region is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ibad Jafri are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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