GALLUP, N.M. – A former manager of a Navajo Nation chapter in Tuba City, Arizona, has pleaded no contest to charges stemming from the theft of more than $1 million in chapter funds.
The Gallup Independent reports Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch announced this week that Priscilla Littlefoot pleaded no contest to 18 counts of theft.
The tribal Department of Justice in May filed 86 criminal charges against Littlefoot, accusing her of fraud, theft and falsification committed over several years.
Authorities say she directed the funds to herself and her family and forged documents to conceal the thefts.
Authorities say the funds were largely taken from the chapter’s tax revenue earmarked for scholarships, grazing operations, capital improvements and other public purposes.
The tribe is seeking a repayment more than $1 million.
