Rocky Boy clinic head arraigned on 4 federal theft charges

Tadios pleads not guilty in Great Falls court to four felony counts

by Tim Leeds

The federal government has indicted another Chippewa Cree Tribe official from Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation on allegations of theft.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana announced in a press release this morning that Fawn Hahn Tadios, 41, pleaded not guilty in federal District Court in Great Falls to four felony charges. She is released on special conditions.

Look for a full story on the charges in Wednesday’s Havre Daily News, when further information has become available.

Tadios is charged with two counts of theft from an Indian tribal organization receiving federal grants, a count of theft from an Indian tribal organization, and a count of theft from a health care facility.

Rocky Boy officials have yet respond to requests from the Havre Daily News made starting last Thursday that they respond to a rumor that Tadios resigned last week as chief executive officer of the tribal Health Board.

An appeal of a protection order issued to keep former Chippewa Cree Business Committee Chair Ken Blatt St. Marks away from Tadios is pending in state District Court.

St. Marks has said repeatedly that Tadios’ request for a protection order — and his removal as chair of the tribal council, which he said was done illegally — is due to his helping federal investigators look into allegations of misdeeds and misuse of federal money at the reservation.

The investigation that led to Tadios’ indictment was a cooperative effort of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney release said.