Porcupine man sentenced to more than 6 years in $4.7 million tribal fraud case

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A Porcupine man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded the Oglala Sioux Tribe of more than $4.7 million.

U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced Patrick Ross, 56, on Aug. 24 to 78 months in federal prison. He will also serve three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $4.74 million in restitution.

Ross was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering.

Federal prosecutors say Ross and co-defendant Buffy Redfish diverted money collected through the tribe’s Tribal Employment Rights Office, or TERO, between November 2017 and May 2024.

According to prosecutors, Redfish collected fee checks from contractors and was supposed to transfer them to the tribe’s revenue department. Instead, the checks, totaling more than $4.7 million, were diverted and deposited into a bank account Ross had opened for the scheme.

Prosecutors say the two split the money and used it for personal expenses, including homes and vehicles. The funds otherwise would have supported tribal services such as emergency assistance, utility assistance, education and medical aid.

Redfish was previously sentenced to 78 months in federal custody for her role in the scheme.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Ross was taken into U.S. Marshals custody following his sentencing.

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