- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Policy and Law
A former elected official of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a former tribal employee have been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling approximately $160,000 from the tribe.
Kyle James Loudner, 40, of Pukwana, S.D., was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Talyn Ashley Douville, 34, also of Pukwana, was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte also ordered each defendant to pay $160,000 in restitution.
Federal prosecutors said Loudner, who was elected to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribal Council on May 3, 2022, and Douville established three checking accounts after his election. Between May 27, 2022, and July 2, 2024, the pair wrote nearly 100 checks from tribal government accounts payable to themselves, each other or cash, according to court records.
Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in the theft of approximately $160,000 from the tribe. Loudner pleaded guilty in March, and Douville pleaded guilty in April.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota. Both defendants are scheduled to report to the U.S. Marshals Service this month to begin serving their sentences, according to a news release.
