News you can use

Henry pleads not guilty to embezzlement

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Hunter Burns has pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges. He admitted filing false documents. He spent two months in federal prison and four months of home confinement, He is free now.

Melody Billy Henry, the former president of Stone Child College, pleaded not guilty at the Missouri River Federal Courthouse in Great Falls Tuesday and is scheduled to have her trial next Tuesday.

Henry and her husband, Frank Gregory Henry. both entered pleas of not guilty for charges of conspiracy to embezzle federal grant and contract funds, theft from an Indian tribal government receiving federal funding, accepting bribes and theft from an Indian tribal organization.

While Melody Henry was president of the college, Frank Henry was the college’s facilities department manager. Along with the Hunter Burns Construction Co., owned by Hunter Burns and James Eastlick Jr. Burns has pleaded guilty to filing false documents, while Eastlick has pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges. The Henrys allegedly embezzled funds directly awarded to the college and the tribe in 2010 and 2012.

The Henrys allegedly were making payments to Hunter Burns Construction, which would then make payments back to them for their personal use. They are said to have paid the company $530,242, more or less, in college construction and consulting contract payments, a legal document reads.

From this, the company is said to have paid the Henrys $242,273, more or less.

They face maximum penalties of five years in prison with three years supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to embezzle and theft from a tribal organization and 10 years in prison with three of supervised release and the same fine for both theft from the government and bribery.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/05/2024 05:55