Claims of corruption, drug use, and sexual misconduct involving the former leaders at the St. Stephens Indian School are now the focus of a federal criminal investigation.
Lori Hogan, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Bob Murray, said the FBI is looking into whether some of the allegations raised in a U.S. Bureau of Indian Education report rise the level of criminal offenses.
“It is under investigation with the FBI,” she told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday. “We will not have any information on that until they’re able to turn it over with enough information to charge somebody.”
The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Business Councils – both executive bodies of the tribes that oversee the school – on Monday released the BIE report that raised a host of allegations against the school’s top officials.
The school’s superintendent, two principals, food supervisor and the entire school board were fired immediately after the report’s release following a vote of both business councils.
Among other things, the report accused former Superintendent Frank No Runner of soliciting sex acts from minors, consuming drugs and alcohol in his on-campus home and misusing school funds.
Pattee Bement, the school’s former foods supervisor and No Runner’s wife, was accused of benefitting from nepotism; she also was accused of either harassing or soliciting sex acts from a woman with whom No Runner claimed to have had an affair.
Other allegations of misconduct were leveled at St. Stephens High School Principal Greg Juneau, who was accused of having taken part in sexual harassment and used marijuana both on- and off-campus.
St. Stephen’s Indian School is funded by both the federal government and by the state of Wyoming.
In 2018 alone, the school received nearly $1.5 million from the Wyoming Legislature.
According to the report, the campus must remain drug-free if the school is to continue receiving federal funding.
The BIE is temporarily in charge of the school.
St. Stephens Indian School is an elementary and high school system on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
