more charges in the AMA scandal.

this time a chief is being charged.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2009/04/22/9204136.html

you know... 9 years later...and only 16K being stolen...I am beginning to wonder if it would be nice to be able to have some simple cost effective way around things like this. Lets ignore if the dude did do it or not... Just the court case alone ( never mind 9 years of investigation ) is going to cost way more then 16K. Something like.. listen.. we know you stole it.. you know you stole it.. Pay it back RIGHT NOW... and you wont get a record all charges will be dropped.

The simple act of him paying it back would show to his people that he did do it and he would (I hope) be taken out of office.

yeah yeah.. but then it sets precedant people will just commit crimes and simply pay the money back when caught. yeah well I really dont think there are that many people out there that would START stealing because of that... they would steal anyway.. this way it would just save us some money.

WHAT A WASTE TO CHARGE $16,000.
This should be below minimum standards for charges. To ruin someones reputation for such a paltry sum is wrong!
Fraud charges have been laid against the chief of an Interlake First Nation for his alleged role in the theft of money from an aboriginal health services agency, RCMP said today.
RCMP said David Traverse, chief of the Kinonjeoshtegon (Jackhead) First Nation, is accused of stealing $16,000 from the now-defunct Anishinaabe Mino-Ayaawin (AMA) Inc. in September and October of 2000.
Traverse, 45, was charged April 16 with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust by a public official.
Traverse is scheduled to appear in court in Winnipeg on May 22.
No further charges are being considered, RCMP said.
RCMP have already laid charges against the alleged architect of the $1 million fraud, Daryl Joseph Cote.
Cote, 53, of Winnipeg, was charged in February with two counts of theft over $5,000 and two counts of fraud over $5,000 after a four-year investigation by the Winnipeg RCMP commercial crime section.
Cote, the former CEO of AMA and former co-manager of Dauphin River First Nation, allegedly stole $717,900 from AMA between October 1999 and March 2004 and $310,150 from Dauphin River First Nation between February 2001 and February 2004.