Evelyn James, a Tribal Council member of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe in Arizona, pleaded guilty on July 1 to false statements, theft from a tribal government receiving federal funds and money laundering, according to a report released last week from the Justice Department.
James, 54, admitted to stealing almost $300,000 in tribal funds. James intermittently served as the Tribal President of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and in that capacity, completed, signed and submitted false statements and records to obtain funds for the tribe from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. James submitted falsified accountings in which she asked for reimbursement from the COPS program for expenditures that were never made by the tribe. The false submissions indicated that the tribe hired and paid three police officers when no peace officers were ever hired, trained or employed.
James will be sentenced in September.
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