CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A prominent activist known for his opposition to the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo mascot was sentenced Wednesday to four months in prison and four months of house arrest for stealing more than $77,000 in federal grant money meant to benefit Native Americans in Northeast Ohio.

Robert Roche, 71, of Cleveland pleaded guilty in May to two counts of theft of government funds, admitting that he embezzled Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant money awarded to the Parma-based American Indian Education Center, where he served as executive director.

He used the money to pay personal expenses, federal prosecutors said.

Roche's supporters filled the seats in the courtroom viewing gallery. His statement during Wednesday's sentencing appeared to be more about score settling and talking about the good he has done for Native Americans in Ohio than about his crimes.

He criticized what he considers a dishonest statement made by Philip Yenyo, a fellow Native American activist who spoke at the sentencing.

It was only after questioning by Senior U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent that Roche spoke about why he misused the grant money. He said he took it in the form of payroll checks and that he did it "to help the center, to help the community." He later said it was not good thinking to do so.

Roche's attorney Michael Lear also highlighted mental and physical ailments Roche suffers from in a quest to secure a lighter sentence for his client. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Patton questioned the assertions about Roche's mental health and said Roche's statements seemed very "detailed."

Nugent also questioned Roche about a lawsuit he filed against potential witnesses in his criminal case. The lawsuit was filed in 2017, around the same time Roche was negotiating with federal prosecutors, Patton said.

Roche, who later dropped the suit denied the lawsuit was meant to intimidate witnesses.

Yenyo, the executive director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio, said Roche's actions deeply hurt the public's view of Native American activists.

"We're all seen as the same now. That we're money grubbing," Yenyo said.

Nugent ordered Roche to pay back the money he stole, which Lear said would mostly come from a retirement account his client planned to liquidate. Nugent also said federal authorities shall monitor Roche's nonprofits while he is on probation to ensure they are in compliance with federal law.

Roche declined comment after his sentencing.

Roche, who is Chiricahua Apache Indian, has been a vocal advocate for the need for more resources for Native Americans. He is a well-known face in the movement to rid Cleveland of Chief Wahoo, the controversial mascot of the Indians the team is phasing out.

Investigators said Roche worked with consultant Craig McGuire to steal Circle of Care grant money. The grants the pair secured were supposed to support mental health and wellness programs for Native American children and families.

Prosecutors said SAMHSA sent Roche's non-profit $482,766 grants between 2011 and 2013 and did not get all the money it was awarded because SAMHSA placed it in "high risk" status. Of that money, Roche and McGuire embezzled a combined $183,703, according to the indictment.

Roche took a salary by classifying himself as a project coordinator of the programs paid for by the grant, even though the grant's regulations precluded him from doing so, prosecutors said. The grant applications also contained false statements.

Roche's plea agreement recommended he serve between 10 and 16 months in federal prison, though both sides were allowed to argued for higher or lower sentences.

Lear, in addition to highlighting Roche's activist work, argued that his client's mental and physical ailments precluded a prison sentence. Roche suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder because of a rough childhood, and reckons with the early stages of dementia. The attorney also said Roche cares for his adult daughter, who deals with her own mental health issues.

Lear also placed blame on McGuire and said Roche would not be in this position had he not met the grant writer.

Yenyo, himself a prominent anti-Wahoo activist whom Roche sued in a separate lawsuit in 2016, told the judge that the Native American community is just as much a victim as the federal government.

McGuire, a Lewis Center resident, pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiracy and theft of government funds. He was sentenced in July to 6 months' electronic monitoring, three years' probation and a $10,000 fine.

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