Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Mariah Pearl Sazue from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, has been sentenced for embezzling funds from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte on July 21, 2025.
Sazue, aged 35, received a sentence of three months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release. She is also required to pay $44,627.25 in restitution to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
In September 2024, Sazue was indicted by a federal grand jury and pleaded guilty on April 17, 2025.
As the Human Resources Director for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe from June 2022 to May 2024, Sazue began submitting falsified timesheets with inflated overtime hours starting December 2022. She collected $44,627.25 in unauthorized overtime pay before being terminated for fraud in May 2024. When questioned about her actions, she denied any intention to exploit the tribe.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem leading the prosecution.
Following her sentencing, Sazue was placed under the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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