BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Government investigators say Montana's Crow Indian Tribe can't account for $12 million meant for water system improvements and that it misused much of the money on unauthorized expenses.
The findings in a government audit released Tuesday mark the third time in recent years that the tribe has come under scrutiny for its handling of federal money.
The Interior Department's inspector general also found that federal officials did not properly oversee the money. It was awarded to the tribe under a $460 million settlement of historical water rights claims.
Investigators faulted Crow officials in June for failing to account for $14.5 million in transportation grants and in 2016 for diverting $2 million from a transit grant to the tribal budget.
Tribal officials did not have an immediate comment on Tuesday's audit.
