Sioux Falls Man and Woman Sentenced for Embezzlement and Theft from Indian Tribal Organization

 Sioux Falls Residents Sentenced for Embezzling from Tribal Organization

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Robert A. Lange of the U.S. District Court has sentenced two Sioux Falls residents for Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. The sentencing took place on July 1, 2024.

April Ferguson, 46, received a sentence of five months in federal prison followed by five months of home confinement and two years of supervised release. Ferguson was also ordered to pay restitution of $36,077 to the Ideal Lakota Community and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Steven Casto, 41, was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $5,922 to the Ideal Lakota Community, along with a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023, Ferguson and Casto pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024. Both had previously lived within the Ideal Lakota Community, a subdivision of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe governed by its Constitution and bylaws. According to Article V of the Rosebud Constitution, community officers are responsible for managing community funds for the benefit of its members.

Between March 1, 2020, and June 1, 2021, Ferguson, then the elected chairperson of the Ideal Lakota Community, embezzled funds from the community. During part of this time, she was dating Casto. Utilizing her position, Ferguson accessed community treasury accounts and, in December 2020, linked a CashApp account to the Ideal Lakota Community’s bank account. Ferguson and Casto conducted numerous unauthorized transactions, including purchases from Amazon, Apple, Playstation Network, gas stations, restaurants, department stores, and grocery stores. These transactions did not benefit the community members but rather Ferguson, Casto, or others.

This case was prosecuted under the Guardians Project, a federal initiative aimed at combating public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The project promotes citizen disclosure and coordinates efforts between agencies to hold accountable those who misuse federal funds. Participating agencies include the FBI, Offices of Inspector General for multiple federal departments, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and others.

The FBI conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case. Ferguson has been ordered to surrender to the U.S. Marshals Service on July 15, 2024, to begin her prison sentence.

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Location: Sioux Falls, SD, USA

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