A federal grand jury has indicted a former tribal coordinator for the Native Village of Mary’s Igloo for embezzlement from an Indian Tribal organization. The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, alleges Tanya Ablowaluk misappropriated more than $88,000 from tribal accounts between 2018 and 2021.
The Native Village of Mary’s Igloo Traditional Council (MITC) is a federally recognized tribe based in Teller. According to the indictment, the tribe participates in a federal self-governance funding program administered through Kawerak, Inc., which paid Ablowaluk’s salary as tribal coordinator. In that role, prosecutors allege she managed MITC’s QuickBooks accounting system and used her access to divert money from tribal bank accounts.
The indictment alleges Ablowaluk concealed the transactions by making false entries in QuickBooks and by describing transfers in a way that disguised their true purpose. Prosecutors further allege she transferred money from the tribe’s General Checking Account into its Small Grants Account without approval before moving funds from the Small Grants Account into her personal checking account.
According to the indictment, prosecutors allege the unauthorized transactions included:
- $31,244.30 in direct deposits from the Small Grants Account into Ablowaluk’s personal account.
- $6,592.48 in unauthorized debit card purchases from the Small Grants Account.
- $40,545.39 in direct deposits from the General Checking Account into Ablowaluk’s account and the accounts of other people she knew.
- $4,525.07 in personal debit card purchases from the General Checking Account.
- $5,472.84 in unauthorized checks issued to her husband.
Court records filed Thursday show Assistant Federal Defender Nathaniel P. Hainje has been appointed to represent Ablowaluk. An arraignment date has not been set.
