Tribe ex-employee accused of embezzling
A former Comanche Nation employee has been accused in a federal indictment of embezzling thousands of dollars from the tribe’s tax commission.
Julierose Baquera Molina, 38, of Cache, was arrested Wednesday and later released on bond. She was charged by indictment last week in Oklahoma City federal court with embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization, a felony.
“The Comanche Nation should work to elevate its members, not to cheat them, and this federal indictment should serve as a warning to anyone scheming against the hardworking members of our tribe,” Comanche Nation Chairman William Nelson said Wednesday.
The embezzlement occurred between October 2014 and March 2016, according to the indictment.
“A sum of possibly up to $48,000 was misappropriated,” tribal police reported.
At the time, Molina was an employee of the Comanche Nation Tax Commission, according to the indictment. A tribal spokeswoman said Molina is an enrolled tribal member and had been employed as a tobacco technician beginning in December 2002. She was terminated in May 2016.
The maximum punishment for a conviction is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Her court-appointed attorney declined to comment. She could not be reached by phone Thursday.