Special prosecutor probes Navajo housing dollars after ZenniHome shutdown
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A court-appointed special prosecutor is examining how Navajo Nation housing dollars were used after the modular-home maker ZenniHome closed its LeChee factory and delivered only a fraction of the units anticipated under a series of agreements that shifted over time.
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Rows of white-wrapped housing modules are staged at the ZenniHome site in LeChee, Ariz., on July 13, 2025.
The speaker’s office has framed the matter as a test of financial controls and public accountability. In a Sept. 15 update, the Council quoted the controller’s office as reporting that “$24 million was drawn down to construct 80 homes, but only 18 homes were constructed through ZenniHome. The status of the remaining housing materials, assets, and funds are not currently accounted for based on information provided by the Office of the Controller.”
Nygren says contracts were vetted and no funds are missing
President Buu Nygren, whose administration advanced the housing push, rejects the characterization that money is unaccounted for and says the government followed its procurement process.
“Let me be clear – my administration followed the law, including the 164 Review, which includes the controller’s office, the Department of Justice, and my legal counsel,” he said in a July 22 statement. “All contracts were vetted.”
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 2, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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