Tribal official pleads guilty to embezzlement

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An official with the Muscogee Creek Nation has pleaded guilty to embezzling from the tribe's direct assistance fund.

Second Chief Roger Dana Barnett of Bristow said in a signed plea agreement dated Thursday that he knowingly and willfully took money that belonged to the tribe. Federal prosecutors say Barnett embezzled approximately $150,000.

U.S. Attorney Danny Williams Sr. says Barnett took funds from the tribal fund that's intended to assist tribal citizens in need, and that he used the money to gamble.

Barnett faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced.