A South Dakota Indian tribe that misspent more than $3.6 million in federal funds cannot block the government from collecting those dollars, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a decision by Judge Roberto Lange, the chief judge for the United States District Court District of South Dakota. Lange last year dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe against the U.S. Department of Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and various federal officials.
At issue was the result of a yearly audit conducted on education funds the tribe received through the Tribally Controlled Schools Act. That act allows tribes to enter into self-determination contracts with the government to operate schools using federal funds, rather than the federal government operating the schools.
