Prosecutor seeks removal of Nygren in ethics case over travel spending, hiring

PAGE-LAKE POWELL

A special prosecutor has filed a detailed ethics complaint in Navajo Nation District Court alleging President Buu Nygren used public resources for personal benefit, directed staff to conceal improper spending and placed an unqualified relative in a political position despite being told the hire violated Navajo law.

The complaint, submitted by Special Prosecutor Kyle T. Nayback, outlines four counts under the Navajo Nation Ethics in Government Law covering a period from January 2023, when Nygren took office, through May 2025. The case will move forward once the president is formally served, according to the filing.

As of 11:52 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, the president had not yet been served.

The document describes alleged violations involving travel cards, personnel decisions and the misuse of staff time. It asks the court to remove Nygren from office, bar him from holding public office for five years, issue a public reprimand, require forfeiture of compensation for up to one year and order restitution.

“Based on the foregoing facts and applicable laws and regulations, complainant (the special prosecutor) seeks the following remedies pursuant to (Title 2 of the Navajo Nation Code, Section 3780): respondent (Nygren) shall be immediately removed from public office, and shall be disqualified from appointment or employment in any public office of the Navajo Nation for a period of five years,” the document states. “Respondent shall be required to forfeit all compensation and benefits received pursuant to his public office for a period of not less than thirty days nor more than one year.”

Restitution would likely address unauthorized P-card spending, though the filing does not specify an amount.

The eight-page complaint describes what Nayback calls a “continuing investigation of governmental misconduct” and states that Nygren, as an elected official and chief executive officer of the Navajo Nation, is legally obligated to enforce Navajo laws and manage public property responsibly.

Travel card spending, alleged concealment

According to the complaint, Nygren regularly brought family members on official business trips and used his Navajo Nation travel purchase card to pay for their lodging and meals. Travel P-cards are limited to the cardholder while on authorized government travel, and purchases for family members are prohibited under Navajo Nation policy.

The filing states that from early 2023 through May 2025, Nygren caused expenses for family members to be charged to his travel card and then directed at least one staff member to alter documents, so the charges appeared to be for staff assistants. Staff were instructed to use white-out to remove family names from receipts and replace them with names of Office of the President and Vice President employees, according to the complaint.

Nayback argues these actions constitute solicitation under Title 17, Section 301 and tampering with a public record under Title 17, Section 374. Any use of a P-card that violates Navajo Nation policy is considered a conversion of property entrusted to an employee for a limited purpose, the filing states.

These actions, according to the complaint, damaged public trust and violated Title 2, Section 3744, which requires public officials to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects credit on the Navajo people and government.

Use of staff for personal tasks

The complaint also alleges that Nygren directed at least one staff member to perform duties outside their official role, including supervising his child, paying his personal bills and doing household work such as cooking and cleaning at his residence.

These actions, the filing states, violated Title 2, Section 3752(C), which prohibits employing staff for purposes unrelated to their official duties or compensating individuals who are not performing the duties for which they are hired.

According to the filing, the tasks amounted to “domestic servitude” that did not align with the employees’ assigned responsibilities.

Hiring of president’s father-in-law

The complaint further alleges that Nygren hired his father-in-law, John Blackwater Jr., to a political at-will position in 2023 and directed staff to falsify Blackwater’s qualifications to make him appear eligible for the job.

Blackwater is related to Nygren by affinity in the second degree. Under Title 2, Section 3755, public officials cannot appoint or influence the appointment of relatives within the third degree to any Navajo Nation employment.

The complaint states that staff warned Nygren that the hiring was not permitted unless Blackwater was supervised under the then chief of staff’s chain of command. According to the filing, Nygren rejected that guidance, placed Blackwater under his direct supervision and personally signed all his personnel action forms.

These actions constitute solicitation under Title 17, Section 301 and unsworn falsification under Title 17, Section 376, the complaint states.

The hiring decision, combined with the alleged directive to alter Blackwater’s application, forms the basis of Count 1. Nayback argues the actions represent misuse of presidential authority and disregard for Navajo personnel laws.

Standards of conduct violations

The remaining counts accuse Nygren of violating sections 3744 and 3745(B), which outline standards of conduct for elected officials.

The complaint states that the president’s use of travel cards for expenses benefiting family members, combined with instructions to conceal those charges, created the appearance of using public office for private gain, giving preferential treatment, impeding government efficiency and eroding public confidence.

Under Title 2, Section 3745(B), public officials must avoid any action that creates such an appearance, whether or not the conduct is specifically prohibited elsewhere in the ethics code.

The filing argues that the alleged actions compromised the independence and impartiality of the president’s office and introduced unnecessary risk to government operations.

Hearing will be scheduled

The court will set a hearing after Nygren is formally served. Under Navajo law, the district court has jurisdiction over ethics complaints brought by a duly appointed special prosecutor.

Nayback, appointed under Title 2, Sections 2021(E) and 2023, wrote that he became aware of the allegations during an ongoing investigation.

The complaint states that the president has a fiduciary responsibility to manage public programs efficiently and comply with all applicable laws. It argues that the alleged conduct represents a breach of that responsibility and warrants the strongest corrective measures.

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