Call for firm action to prevent abuse fades away

When the Navajo Times broke the story in 2006 that a worker in Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan's office had been given over $13,000 in discretionary funds, Delegate Ervin Keeswood Sr. (Tsé Daa Kaan) spoke out strongly about the need for more controls on how that money is spent.

Keeswood, who was serving as interim speaker at the time, even imposed a temporary moratorium on the disbursement of assistance payments from the discretionary funds "in order to allow the legislative branch to take firm and decisive action to address past abuses and prevent their recurrence in the future," he said in a Jan. 18, 2007, press release.

But Keeswood's signature is on several checks issued to the daughter of a colleague on the Government Services Committee, who has received over $25,000 in aid from council discretionary funds since the council passed rules to prevent the abuses Keeswood decried.

"The moratorium," Keeswood stated in his 2007 release, "will allow time for internal investigation of allegations of improprieties in the area of discretionary fund assistance payments and the establishment of written policies to prevent the recurrence of any abuses which are found to have occurred."

Keeswood also ordered legislative staff to review and collect documents regarding "questioned transactions for analysis and referral to appropriate law enforcement authorities, in order to address past violations of Navajo Nation laws."

While attention was focused on the checks approved and given to Fern Anthnette Spencer, the former legislative worker, several other individuals with close ties to the legislative branch continued to collect large amounts of aid.

Keeswood said at the time, "What is required is that any internal control deficiencies be addressed immediately, in order to ensure that Navajo Nation funds are used legally and appropriately, and that persons who have abused the trust placed in them as Navajo Nation employees and officials be held accountable for their actions."

The largest single recipient of aid is Amanda Teller, stepdaughter of the legislative branch's top financial watchdog, senior financial adviser Laura Calvin.

"Navajo Nation Council delegates and the speaker of Navajo Nation Council, as well as the president of the Navajo Nation, have been appropriated discretionary funds in order to allow them to provide financial assistance to members of the Navajo Nation public in their time of dire need," Keeswood stated.

On Sept. 4, Keeswood was reminded about his 2007 statement and then asked why he gave Amanda Teller four checks totaling $2,600 in 2008, in apparent violation of the rule limiting tribal members to one grant of aid from council discretionary funds per year.

Amanda Teller is the daughter of Leonard Teller (Lukachukai/Tsaile/Wheatfields), who serves as vice chair of the Government Services Committee. Keeswood is its chairman.

"As far as my assisting her - pretty much in general when we assist people, they come in, we assume they're all legitimate," Keeswood said. "When we're requested, we do what we can. And I've never gone and asked anyone whether or not this person has received any money from anyone (else)."

Keeswood added that his assistance to Teller's daughter was emergency related but he couldn't recall exactly what the emergencies were.

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