Woman sentenced for stealing $4.7 million from Oglala Sioux Tribe - Go Watertown

Woman sentenced for stealing $4.7 million from Oglala Sioux Tribe

July 14, 2026

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.–The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota has announced a Rushville, Nebraska, woman convicted of four counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering after stealing more than $4.7 million from the Oglala Sioux Tribe has been sentenced.

Fifty seven year-old Buffy Redfish was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Redfish stole money when she deposited tribal employment fee checks belonging to the tribe into a co-defendant’s account over a seven year period when she worked for the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Tribal Employment Rights Office.

Redfish used embezzled funds for her own personal benefit, including purchasing homes and vehicles.