Report Says Torres-Martinez Misused Millions in TANF Funds

Federal audits conducted annually from 2002 to 2008 show that the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians of California misused millions of dollars in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, according to a special investigative report published by The Desert Sun on Jan. 17.

The Desert Sun's report examines years of questionable spending by the tribe’s TANF program, including inflated salaries and raises for program execs, and accountability problems, such as missing documentation to support expenditures.

The report says that in 2005 the Administration for Children and Families found “potential misuse of federal TANF funds” by the tribal program totaling more than $6 million from FY 2002 and FY 2003.

“A lot of abuse was happening that shouldn't have been able to happen,” Ronald Sells, president of The Sells Group, which conducted the tribal program's audits from 2002 to 2005, told the paper.

The Torres-Martinez has fewer than 500 members. Its TANF program has received more than $123 million in federal and state funding since its inception.