Former Oglala Sioux president loses criminal appeal

Court found that prosecutors proved Julian Bear Runner had intent to defraud tribe

President Julian Bear Runner of the Oglala Sioux Tribe addresses the National Congress of American Indians in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October 23, 2019. (Kevin Abourezk / Indianz.com)

A federal appeals court Thursday rejected an appeal from the former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who had been convicted of embezzling from the tribe, wire fraud and larceny.

The three-judge panel on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the nearly two-year sentence given to Julian Bear Runner, as well as a restitution order that he repay what he stole from the tribe. The opinion, written by Judge Duane Benton, was unanimous.

Bear Runner, 39, is currently serving his 22-month sentence at a minimum-security facility in Texarkana, Texas, according to federal inmate records. He is scheduled to be released on July 18.

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