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Houle sentenced to 68 months

A former Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation official was sentenced to 68 months in federal prison Wednesday at the Missouri River Federal Courthouse in Great Falls.

John "Chance" Houle, in addition to the five years and eight months, was also ordered to pay a restitution of $646,446. The restitution will be split three ways - between the Chippewa Cree regional water project, the Chippewa Cree Tribe itself and the United States Internal Revenue Service.

Houle pleaded guilty to counts of bribery, tax evasion and theft from an Indian tribal organization.

"Public corruption cases are some of the most serious," said Judge Brian Morris as he handed out the sentence.

Houle was one of many who was caught up in the Guardians Project investigations. The project aims to find and prosecute corruption on Indian reservations. The Rocky Boy reservation was given a large sum - millions of dollars - in one fell swoop. The funds were to be used for improving the water system at the reservation and other improvements to the community.

Morris said the money was to be used to improve the community's lives and he doesn't think a chance at funds like that will be given to the reservation again.

The courtroom was full of Houle's family members and friends. Two character witnesses maintained that Houle was a kind-hearted man who did a lot for his community. Houle's lawyer, Jason Holden, maintained the same, adding that Houle just had a lapse in judgement and made a bad decision.

Houle is largely responsible for the formation of the rodeo club in Rocky Boy. He took out loans to improve the rodeo - to give kids saddles, pay vendors, etc. - but, the problem was he paid the loans with illegally obtained money.

"Chance's honesty tends to be conditional," said U.S. attorney Carl Rostad, adding that the money he used to help the people was taken from the people in the first place.

"I appreciate compassion, but you have to be compassionate with your own money," Rostad said.

Morris said repeatedly that public corruption cases are different from others in the sense that every day, the person committing the crime has a choice to do it or not do it. It is not a one-time passionate crime.

Houle's indictment was hand-in-hand with other officials and collaborators from Rocky Boy and Havre. James Eastlick, Shad Huston and others are also going through the system or have already been sentenced.

"This was almost a collective loss of moral compass among the leaders," Morris said. " ... You could have helped everybody."

Instead, he said, Houle helped himself.

But Houle maintained that he took the funds to help others. When people showed up in the night to ask for money or diapers, he gave it to them. He invested in the rodeo. He helped others, he said.

"I lost their trust," Houle said. "For that, I apologize. ... I did wrong. Justice needs to be imposed on me."

Houle sounded emotional as he spoke to the judge on his own behalf. He will self-report to prison.

 
 

Reader Comments(1)

rbcitizen writes:

Oh yeah he lost our trust, playing with the peoples money thinking we all owe him something because of his great thievery sending everyone to jail. This tribe needs to make sure these felons are not able to run again in an tribal election, ever. They need to change this constitution that if convicted of a felony you are not allowed to run for tribal office ever agin.