Blackfeet operations manager indicted for stealing Covid-19 stimulus funds

James McNeely, the operations manager and spokesperson for the Blackfeet Tribe, was indicted for stealing at least $78,400 in federal Covid-19 stimulus dollars intended for the tribe, according to federal court documents filed last week.

McNeely, indicted for theft from tribal government and wire fraud, is accused of diverting American Rescue Plan Act dollars between October 2021 and October 2022, according to the lawsuit filed by the federal government in the Great Falls Division U.S. District Court.

McNeely did not return calls from the Daily Montanan, and the tribal council could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

The U.S. government alleges McNeely fraudulently submitted requests for repayment to the Blackfeet Tribe and received payments “after falsely claiming to purchase COVID-19 supplies on behalf of the Tribe from Amazon,” when he did not purchase said supplies, according to the filing.

McNeely submitted photos of his Amazon shopping cart and quotes from local businesses to make the claims look legitimate to review from the Blackfeet Tribe, the filing said.

The funds were sent in checks and electronic transmissions from Montana to Denver and other places, and into a checking account, as part of McNeely’s scheme to fraudulently obtain the money, the U.S. government alleges.

The checks, sent between February and September of 2022, added up to more than $78,400, according to the indictment; ten checks were sent, each ranging from $7,100-$8,400.

According to the Cutbank Pioneer Press, McNeely was appointed public information officer for the Blackfeet Tribe in February 2022 after serving as the public information officer for Blackfeet Incident Command during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He worked at Tribal Headquarters for more than 20 years, according to the Pioneer Press.

Tribes were disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, experiencing higher mortality rates, according to a 2021 study.

Nicole Girten is a reporter for the Daily Montanan, a nonprofit newsroom.