Article: Tribe confronts scandal over missing $1.2 million Red Cliff reservation struggles to keep operating

Like a family protecting a dirty secret, tribal members at this remote Chippewa Indian reservation in Bayfield County had long ignored rumors that the tribe's $6 million treasury was being raided by insiders.

"We finally couldn't turn our backs any longer. It was like a car crash. Bodies were all over the road," said Walt Bresette, a member of a tribal task force that Monday reported federal money totaling $1.2 million had been improperly diverted.

Nine tribal workers, now suspended, received $558,000 in questionable payroll advances, Bresette said. About $36,000, also for advances, went to 20 more employees. The balance of missing money, about $600,000, was used mainly to prop up two ...

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