Tribal official headed to prison for embezzlement
By Jay F. Marks
Published: June 11, 2008
A former treasurer for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison for embezzling nearly $100,000.
Edward Dunn Whiteskunk, 51, had hoped to avoid prison, as his attorney cited his health problems and the burden his incarceration would place on his family.
U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron said those were not valid reasons not to send him to prison.
She said Whiteskunk's punishment must be an example for other elected officials.
The judge sentenced Whiteskunk to a year and a day in prison, a term near the bottom of the penalties suggested by federal sentencing guidelines.
He also must pay almost $99,000 in restitution.
Whiteskunk is one of 10 people who have been charged in federal court in Oklahoma City with embezzling money from the tribes and the Lucky Star casinos.
