SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A former executive board member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe has been sentenced to nearly two years in jail for embezzlement.

Federal authorities say 46-year-old Thomas Adams formed an agreement with others to steal money from the Old Agency District, a subdivision of the tribe. Adams and others allegedly wrote checks to themselves for payroll, stipends, assistance, travel and other miscellaneous reasons.

Adams said in his plea agreement that he and co-defendants stole more than $415,000 from the district between January 2011 and March 2013.

Adams was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay back nearly $152,000. He must also serve three years of supervised release.

The tribe resides on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South Dakota and southeastern North Dakota.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.