BISMARCK (KFGO) – A contractor who bribed a Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara Nation tribal official and his staff to the tune of over $400,000 has been sentenced to one year in federal prison.
Francisco Solis Chacon’s companies received over $17 million for construction work on the Fort Berthold Indian reservation in west-central North Dakota over the course of a decade. In exchange, authorities say Tribal Business Councilman Frank Grady and members of his staff solicited and accepted bribes and kickbacks, and Grady used his official position to help Solis Chacon’s business by awarding contracts, fabricating bids, and managing fraudulent invoices on the oil-rich reservation.
In November Grady was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
Defense attorneys have asked the court to allow Solis Chacon to travel to Mexico to deal with some business affairs before his sentence begins in May. District Court judge Daniel Hovland is expected to rule on the motion in the coming days.
