Leischners plead, Sunchild reset in Rocky Boy embezzlement

This weeks former tribal council chair’s change-of-plea hearing in federal court in Great Falls was reset, but three Laurel residents pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and corruption related to Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation.

Tammy Leischner, Mark Leischner and Brenden Leischner of Laurel, sister, former brother-in-law and nephew of former Rocky Boy psychologist James Howard Eastlick Jr., entered guilty pleas this week.

Bruce Harold Sunchild, who became chair of the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s Business Committee in 2011, now is scheduled to plead guilty Oct. 20 to charges of theft from an Indian tribal organization and accepting bribes.

Sunchild, who had been vice chair, took over as head of the council after Raymond “Jake” Parker resigned one day before pleading guilty to charges of embezzling from the tribe.

A jury in June convicted Parker’s wife, Fawn Tadios, of embezzling from the tribe to pay for visits to the South Dakota prison camp where he was serving his sentence. She is scheduled for sentencing next Thursday.

Havre businessman and former Havre school board chair Shad Huston also was indicted with Sunchild, along with other indictments filed against Huston.

Huston pleaded guilty Aug. 25 to charges, including some from the indictment he shared with Sunchild, in which the government said Huston would meet in a Havre business with other conspirators to “concoct ‘Happy Meals’” to decide how to embezzle and distribute funds.

At the meetings, the prosecution said, Huston went by the nickname “Chumlee,” from the reality show “Pawnstars,” Eastlick Jr. went by the nickname “Ronald McDonald,” Chippewa Cree Construction CEO Tony Belcourt went by the nickname “Tony the Tiger,” tribal council member and former chair John “Chance” Houle went by the name “G” or “Triple G” — “G” for “greed” — and a tribal council member not named by the prosecution went by “Hamburglar.”

Sunchild was one of the tribal officials approving payment of funds in the schemes, and received kickbacks as part of the scheme, the offer of proof against Huston said.

Huston is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 24.

Belcourt and his wife, Hailey Belcourt, pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.

Eastlick Jr. is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17.

His and Tammy Leischner’s father, James Howard Eastlick Sr. of Laurel, was sentenced last week for his part in Rocky Boy embezzlement schemes.

Houle and the vice president of the Chippewa Cree Rodeo Association, Wade Colliflower, are scheduled to go to trial, in two indicments naming both and one naming only Houle, in December, January and February.

Wednesday, Tammy and Brenden Leischner pleaded guilty in interrelated plea agreements dealing with allegations of fraudulent bankruptcy claims and federal financial aid applications, including Brenden Leischner stealing his brother-in-law’s identity to use as a guarantor on a student aid application. They are scheduled for sentencing Dec. 17.

Thursday, Mark Leischner pleaded guilty in the interrelated plea agreement to conspiring to defraud the United States in the financial aid case and to embezzlement from Indian tribal organizations and altering records in an ongoing investigation. He also is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 17.