Montana's Chippewa Cree Tribe can't account for $3.5 million, auditors say

A northcentral Montana Indian tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs can't fully account for $3.5 million primarily in federal funds, including money for a corruption-plagued water project that's resulted in numerous convictions, according to government audits and federal officials.

The audits by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Interior examined $3.7 million for Chippewa Cree Tribe transportation programs and a $2 million contract for repairs and maintenance of the tribal water system.

In both cases, tribal leaders were unable to fully document how they spent the money or provide inadequate records to justify the spending, federal officials said. The audits stemmed from a broader investigation of tens of millions of dollars in federal payments for the Rocky Boy's/North Central Montana Rural Water system.

Inspector General's Office spokeswoman Gillian Carroll said the money that was paid to the tribe under the contracts was used for other programs on the reservation.

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