Delia Commander, Embezzlement, Alaska 2023

Anchorage, Alaska - An Oregon woman has been charged with embezzling approximately $300,000 from a tribal organization in Alaska.

Delia Commander, 63, of Oregon, is charged in a four-count indictment with embezzlement. The indictment alleges that Commander embezzled the money by using the tribal credit card to make unauthorized cash advances at casinos and other locations, and by making unauthorized purchases with tribal funds.

The purchases included paying for personal travel, online university courses, personal vehicle maintenance, and personal shopping, among other things. Commander was the Tribal Administrator at the Skagway Traditional Council, a federally recognized tribal organization, from at least 2010 to 2014.

The law provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The case was investigated by the Department of Interior Office of Inspector General, assisted by the FBI. Commander's indictment is a result of a grand jury hearing presented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Delia Commander, 63, of Oregon, is charged with four counts of embezzlement. She allegedly embezzled approximately $300,000 from the Skagway Traditional Council in Alaska from 2010 to 2014.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/oregon-woman-charged-embezzling-approximately-300000-tribal-organization-alaska