Julian Bear Runner, Wire Fraud & Larceny, South Dakota 2024

Former Oglala Sioux Tribe President Convicted of Wire Fraud, Larceny, and Embezzlement

Rapid City, South Dakota - In a landmark case, a federal jury has convicted Julian Bear Runner, 38, of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, of six counts of Wire Fraud, one count of Larceny, and one count of Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization.

The verdict was returned on April 4, 2024, after a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $800 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Bear Runner was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2022.

Between January of 2019 and January of 2020, while acting in his capacity as President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Bear Runner fraudulently submitted travel vouchers for official business travel and received payment for travel that he was not entitled to, as he was not actually traveling.

As a result of those travel authorizations, Bear Runner received thousands of dollars in advance travel payments but did not go on the travel. Instead, Bear Runner cashed the checks at a casino, gambled, and stayed in local hotels.

“When government leaders abuse positions of power for personal financial gain, it’s the public that pays the price,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date will be scheduled. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case was brought pursuant to the Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities.

The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/former-oglala-sioux-tribe-president-convicted-wire-fraud-larceny-and-embezzlement