Timber Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement to Federal Agency
| U.S. Attorney's Office May 09, 2011 |
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Roy Rollin Veit, age 22, of Timber Lake, South Dakota, appeared before United States District Judge Roberto A. Lange on May 9, 2011, and pled guilty to an indictment that charged him with making a false statement to a federal agency. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years of supervised release; and a $100 special assessment.
The charge relates to Roy Veit and others falsely conspiring to obtain grazing privileges from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to pasture non-Indian owned cattle on tribally owned grazing range units by falsely claiming that the Veit family owned the cattle and livestock as Cheyenne River Sioux tribal members. This scheme allowed the co-defendants to avoid paying the $6 per head, per month, Cheyenne River Sioux fee and thereby defrauding the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of approximately $50,532.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mikal Hanson.
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for August 1, 2011. The defendant was released on bond pending sentencing.