The former operations manager for the Blackfeet Tribe was arraigned Nov. 28 in federal court on charges accusing him of stealing federal COVID-19 relief funding the tribe received, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
James Cameron McNeely, 43, of Browning, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft from an Indian tribal government receiving federal funding, wire fraud and theft from an Indian tribal organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. If convicted of the most serious crime, McNeely faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided. McNeely was released pending further proceedings, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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The indictment alleges that the Blackfeet Tribe received federal grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
As alleged, from about October 2021 to October 2022, while working as the tribe’s operations manager in Browning, McNeely stole more than $5,000 from the tribe by fraudulently submitting requests for repayment to the tribe after falsely claiming to purchase COVID-19 supplies on behalf of the tribe from Amazon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon is prosecuting the case. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
