Three people charged with defrauding a federally funded program to help troubled Blackfeet Indian youth have pleaded guilty to their roles in the fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Francis Onstad of Valier and Delyle “Shanny” Augare of Browning pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Great Falls on Friday to conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to submit false claims, embezzlement from a federally funded program and income tax evasion.
Dorothy May Still Smoking of Browning pleaded guilty to conspiracy to submit false claims.
All were accused of embellishing the Blackfeet tribe’s contributions to the program, which were required to keep the federal money coming into the Po’Ka Program.
Prosecutors alleged Onstad and Augare combined to take $225,000 from the program for their personal use and didn’t report it as income.