Nevada Tribal Official Responds to Embezzlement Accusations Story-Date: 10:51 a.m. PST Tuesday , August 4, 1998 ------------------------------------------------------------ Nevada Tribal Official Responds to Embezzlement Accusations By Emmett O'Connell, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 3--RENO, Nev.--In response to recent allegations about fiscal improprieties leveled at him by current staff of the Nevada Indian Environmental Coalition, Brian Wallace, chairman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California and former NIEC president, wrote a letter to members of his tribe. The allegations began to surface following Mr. Wallace's resignation from the NIEC. The series of events that lead to Mr. Wallace's departure began with a status report from Loren Goldtooth of Phoenix, Ariz., who conducts a yearly audit for the coalition. The status report accused two coalition employees, Anita Collins and Debbie O'Neil, of embezzling nearly $23,000 between them. As a result, Carol Yeatmen, the Washoe Tribe's lawyer, advised Mr. Wallace to resign, on the basis that a possible personal liability case might be brought against him. Ms. Collins and Ms. O'Neil were quoted in the Reno Gazette-Journal and Indian Country Today accusing Mr. Wallace of the actual embezzlement. "The accusations Debbie (O'Neil) and Anita (Collins) made to the paper against me concerning travel expenses are absolutely false and were made in a desperate attempt by two people who have committed embezzlement and are afraid to go to jail," wrote Mr. Wallace. "In fact, it would have been impossible for my travel expenses to be put on NIEC credit cards because none of the cards were in my name, it was only Debbie and Anita that could use these cards," Mr. Wallace wrote. In response to that charge, Allan Ambler, the current president of NIEC and chairman of the Lovelock Tribe, said that it was true, Mr. Wallace never did use a coalition credit card. But he did authorized their use, Mr. Ambler said. In one instance that Mr. Ambler remembered specifically and was a witness to, Mr. Wallace and Ms. O'Neil were checking out of a hotel following a conference in Seattle, Wash. Ms. O'Neil inquired on how the rooms would be paid for, to which Mr. Wallace replied "Oh, just put it on the credit card." Mr. Ambler said, Ms. O'Neil then did so. NIEC policy states that a check be written to cover travel expenses, Mr. Ambler said. Cited frequently in the letter to the Washoe Tribe is the auditor's preliminary report to the NIEC board of directors dated May 13 and outlining the $23,000 in charges made on Ms. O'Neil's and Ms. Collins' credit cards. That figure has changed three times since early May, and has shrunken considerably, said Mr. Ambler who, as president of NIEC, has been in contact with Mr. Goldtooth. Mr. Goldtooth was contacted earlier by ICT but due to the on-going nature of the audit, would not comment. Mr. Ambler also said that he had never heard of a preliminary report on an on-going audit, and wondered what purpose it would serve. "I don't even know (an auditor) that would give one," he said. "Other tribes have also resigned from NIEC for the same reasons we did, including Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Yomba Shoshone Tribe and Ely Shoshone Tribe," Mr. Wallace wrote. But, unlike Mr. Wallace, Christine Stones, chairman of the Ely Shoshone Tribe, wouldn't comment on who she thought was liable for the financial problems at NIEC. Waiting for the final audit by Mr. Goldtooth would be the best avenue for the Ely Shoshone, she said. Mr. Ambler is also specifically mentioned in Mr. Wallace's letter. "The real problem between the tribe and NIEC arose when Allen Ambler from Lovelock Tribe saw this as an opportunity to take over NIEC, " Mr. Wallace wrote. "He conspired with staff and encouraged them and board members to cover up the embezzlement and hide it from the federal agencies that fund NIEC." Mr. Ambler, who before Mr. Wallace resigned was NIEC vice-president, said that Mr. Wallace's charge of him "covering up" anything is unfounded. When he heard about the missing money in January, he contacted the staff, who told him that they knew about the credit card charges, but that they were sworn to secrecy by Mr. Wallace, said Mr. Ambler. Ms. O'Neil claims that Mr. Wallace said at the time, "The board doesn't need to know about the charges." The staff members and Mr. Ambler met to try to work out paying the credit cards back, according to Mr. Ambler, but nothing was done to reimburse the NIEC. "As far as covering this up, they weren't covering anything up," Mr. Ambler said. "What he's blaming Debbie and Anita of doing is what he's doing; just blaming everyone," Mr. Ambler said. All of these allegations and counter allegations come before the release of the auditor's yearly report. Sources say the audit is complete, but hasn't been seen by NIEC staff or board members. Sometime soon the board members will travel to Phoenix, Ariz., to meet with Mr. Goldtooth to view and discuss the audit. The audit will be made public at that time. ----- Visit Indian Country Today on the World Wide Web at http://www.indiancountry.com/ ----- (c) 1998, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------------------------------------