Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
October 7, 2020
2 charged with fraud against tribes
Two men have been charged
with federal fraud crimes against
the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs. A grand jury in Portland
returned a six-count indictment
charging Roderick Ariwite, age 65,
resident on the Fort Hall Reserva-
tion in Idaho; and Thomas Adams,
48, a resident of the Warm Springs
Reservation.
The charges include conspiracy
and theft/misapplication of funds
from the tribal organization. The
indictment charges Ariwite and
Adams with conspiring to misap-
propriate $93,700 of tribal funds,
and with five counts of substan-
tive misappropriation of tribal
funds.
In a separate indictment, Ariwite
is charged alone with Interstate
Transportation of Security Taken
by Fraud. This indictment alleges
interstate transportation of a
$23,000 check Ariwite obtained by
fraud from a board member of a
tribal business entity.
According to the indictments,
Ariwite was chief executive officer
of the Warm Springs Economic
Development Corporation, known
as Warm Springs Ventures.
Ventures operates as the man-
agement organization for a num-
ber tribal business interests. One
of these interests is the Warm
Springs Construction Enterprise.
Construction bids on and ex-
ecutes construction projects such
as building roads and commercial
buildings. Thomas Adams was
manager of Warm Springs Con-
struction, under the supervision of
Ariwite, according to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office, District of Or-
egon.
The indictment alleges that be-
ginning in October 2017, Ariwite
and Adams created their own con-
struction company called
Warbonnet Construction Services.
Thereafter, and on tribal time,
while drawing tribal salaries and
travel reimbursements, they en-
gaged in work projects for
Warbonnett. The indictment al-
leges that in one instance Ariwite
and Adams used $48,900 in tribal
funds to hire a subcontractor for
a Warbonnet construction project.
The indictment also alleges
Ariwite and Adams hired REDD,
a consulting company Ariwite op-
erated, for two projects that gave
no benefit to the tribes.
Ariwite and Adams paid
REDD $9,800 to create a state-
ment of qualifications—a market-
ing brochure—for Warm Springs
Construction.
Ariwite and Adams jointly cre-
ated the statement of qualifications
and they allegedly included false
and fabricated information about
Construction. For instance:
Most of the construction
projects the statement of qualifi-
cations said Construction had
worked on were in fact projects
by a private construction company
Ariwite and Adams worked with
through Warbonnet, according to
the U.S. Attorney’s Office report.
Additionally, some of the sup-
posed Construction professional
staff the statement of qualifica-
tions profiled were employees of
the private construction company,
the report says.
Ariwite and Adams submitted
the false and fabricated statement
of qualifications to Construction
and allegedly enriched themselves
with $9,800 of tribal funds, ac-
cording to the report.
Ariwite and Adams also paid
REDD $28,000 in tribal funds to
create and submit to the U.S.
Small Business Administration
what is known as an 8(a) applica-
tion. The Small Business Admin-
istration operates a business de-
velopment program for small, dis-
advantaged businesses, and an
8(a) certification gives preferences
to bid on government contracts.
REDD never produced an 8(a)
application. In this way, Ariwite
and Adams allegedly misapplied
$28,000 in tribal funds enriching
themselves with these funds.
The separate indictment
against Ariwite alleges that in May
to June 2018, Ariwite defrauded
a Warm Springs Ventures board
member, and transported the
$23,000 fraud proceeds, in the
form of a check drawn on the
board member’s personal bank
account, from Oregon to Idaho.
The FBI investigated this case
with assistance from the Warm
Springs Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by
Seth D. Uram, Assistant U.S. At-
torney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation
of a crime, and the defendants are
presumed innocent unless and un-
til proven guilty.
Page 3
Reward offered in
2019 homicide case
The FBI in Oregon is offer-
ing a reward of up to $10,000
for information leading to the
identification, arrest and con-
viction of the person or people
responsible for killing a man on
the Warm Springs Reservation
in 2019.
The FBI says Gunner Bailey
was found dead about 50 feet
off Tenino Road on the reser-
vation on Mary 17, 2019.
Bailey had been fatally shot. He
was 31 when he died.
The FBI is working with
At right: Recently available
reservation Covid-19 case
demographics, by age, as of
September 30.
Active cases: 19 (at that
time). Cumulative cases
since the start of the
pandemic: 351.
Chart below: Place of
exposure, active cases; and
below right, place of work
exposure incidence.
$10,000 for information
in fatal arson on reservation
The FBI is offering a $10,000
reward for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of
whoever was responsible for a
fatal arson fire May 17 on the
Warm Springs Reservation.
The FBI says the fire killed 77-
year old Lamont Brown. A sec-
ond person in the home suffered
critical injuries, and a third resi-
dent escaped but not before be-
ing seriously burned.
A fourth person escaped
through a window and was unin-
jured.
Anyone with information can
call the Bend or Portland FBI of-
fice. The Bend office number is
541-398-1202.
Or call the Warm Springs Po-
lice. The dispatch number is 541-
553-1171.
Information can also be left on
the FBI tips website:
tips.fbi.gov
Recognizing symptoms, and where to call
Symptoms for Covid-19 can in-
clude: Fever, cough, shortness of
breath or difficulty breathing, chills,
muscle pain, headache, sore throat,
loss of taste or smell.
If you have symptoms or are
concerned you came in contact with
Covid-19, call the IHS Covid-19
Nurse Triage Hotline.
The number is 541-553-5512.
Health care
contact
numbers
At the Warm Springs
Health and Wellness Cen-
ter they ask that you call
ahead if you plan on going
there.
For a regular appoint-
ment call 541-553-2610.
The IHS Covid-19
Nurse Triage Hotline is
541-553-5512.
Outside of IHS regular
hours you can call the Reg-
istered Nurse Health Ad-
vice Hotline at 1-866-470-
2015.
For all other business
call 541-553-1196.
Outside of IHS regular hours,
You can call the Registered Nurse
Health Advice Hotline at 1-866-
470-2015.
Cumulative deaths on the reservation since the
pandemic began, by age group, 50 and over.
the Warm Springs Police De-
partment to investigate the
case.
Anyone with information
about the homicide case should
contact the FBI in Bend at 541-
389-1202 during normal busi-
ness hours or the FBI in Port-
land at 503-224-4181 twenty-
four hours a day or the Warm
Springs Police Department at
541-553-3272.
Information may also be sub-
mitted online at:
tips.fbi.gov