The Crow Tribe can’t account for nearly $14.5 million in federal transportation grants from 2016, according to a federal audit released Monday.
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Interior stated that the tribe failed to file financial reports, track expense reports, provide supporting documents for the contracts or submit a single audit for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2016.
The contracts in question total $14.49 million and were part of a Tribal Transportation Agreement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The program was designed to provide engineering, construction and maintenance for roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure related to tribal needs, according to the audit.
MTN News has reached out to a spokesman for Chairman A.J. Not Afraid for a response. The events described in the audit report took place during the tenure of former Chairman Darrin Old Coyote.
According to the audit, the problems occurred when the contractor managing the tribe’s financial department was let go in July 2017 because of a budget shortfall.
Tribal officials then told auditors they discovered the former financial department officials did not know how to properly manage federal contracts, according to the audit.
The BIA told auditors the tribe is no longer managing Tribal Transportation Agreement dollars and has hired new certified public accountants to comply with federal regulations on tracking the money.
Here’s a copy of the full audit:
