Former Tribal Coordinator Indicted for Embezzling Over $88,000
A federal grand jury in Alaska has charged Tanya Ablowaluk with embezzlement from a federally recognized Tribe; the case remains undecided.
3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 2, 2026, 1:21 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Sep 2, 2026, 1:26 p.m. ET
Former Tribal Coordinator Indicted for Embezzlement from Federally Recognized Tribe
Tanya Ablowaluk, 46, of Teller, Alaska, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of embezzlement from an Indian Tribal organization, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska. The indictment was announced in a press release dated September 2, 2026.
Ablowaluk served as Tribal Coordinator for a federally recognized Tribe in Western Alaska from January 1, 2018, to August 31, 2021. Court documents allege that between January 2018 and September 2021, she accessed the Tribe's bank accounts without authorization, making over $71,000 in unauthorized direct deposits to her personal accounts, over $11,000 in debit card purchases, and over $5,000 in checks for personal payments.
Ablowaluk is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on Sept. 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Sep 2, 2026, 1:21 p.m. ETFirst report
Former Tribal Coordinator Indicted for Embezzling Over $88,000
A federal grand jury in Alaska has indicted Tanya Ablowaluk, 46, of Teller, Alaska, on one count of embezzlement from an Indian Tribal organization, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska. The indictment, announced on September 2, 2026, alleges that between January 2018 and September 2021, Ablowaluk, while serving as Tribal Coordinator for a federally recognized Tribe in Western Alaska, accessed the Tribe's bank accounts without authorization and made over $71,000 in unauthorized direct deposits into her personal accounts, over $11,000 in debit card purchases, and issued over $5,000 in checks for personal payments.
Ablowaluk is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on September 17 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG) Western Region, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ibad Jafri.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Revision history
- Version 22 Sept 2026, 18:52current
Added explicit statement that the case is only at the charging stage and undecided in the first paragraph and near the end.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 17:24
First published.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 17:21current
First published.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 17:26current
First published.
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