Montana News

Blackfeet Tribal Council reacts to indictment of former leaders

Posted: Jan 11, 2013 6:49 PM by MTN News

The Blackfeet Tribal Council has issued a response to the recent indictments of three former tribal leaders.

On Tuesday, Jay St Goddard, Gayle Skunkcap, and Jay Wells entered not guilty pleas to six federal charges, including conspiracy, theft from a tribal organization, and illegal sale of tribal wildlife.

The case stems from St. Goddard, Skunkcap, and Wells allegedly arranging for country music singers to hunt and kill buffalo, elk, moose, and bear on the Blackfeet Reservation.

The Council's release states that the tribe did not receive any money from the hunts.

The Council also claims that Wells made plans for the hunts in order to help fund a Tribal Cancer Foundation, but no foundation was established.

Tribal Chairman Willie Sharp said, "This was all just to benefit these three men and their invited guests and had nothing whatsoever to do with the enrichment of the entire Blackfeet Tribe and its Blackfeet people."

Supporters of St. Goddard, Wells, and Skunkcap maintain that the charges are politically motivated, which Sharp denies.