Court documents state that the Curyung Tribe found evidence William Corbett had been embezzling funds — approximately $80,000 — since October during an audit in late February.
According to the charges, Gayla Hoseth, the Tribe’s First Chief, locked Corbett’s email and accounting software on the evening of Feb. 26 in an attempt to preserve evidence and reported the alleged crime to the Dillingham Police the following morning.
The criminal complaint says that Corbett regained access to the Tribe’s accounting software on Feb. 27 after it was locked and altered 20 checks and invoices, all of which were completed before his employment. Law enforcement suspects that Corbett made these edits in an attempt to conceal changes to checks that were for misappropriated funds.
The Tribe provided police with five checks, made to both Corbett and to companies owned by Corbett, Bristol Suppliers and Datton LLC, as evidence. The earliest check is dated from Oct. 6, 2023, and the most recent check was deposited on Feb. 20, 2024 according to the court documents.
Court documents also state that Curyung Tribe council members identified two allegedly forged signatures of former and current Tribal officials on one of the checks.
Hoseth declined a recorded interview but told KDLG in an email that served as an official statement from the Tribal council that the Tribe is fully cooperating with law enforcement on the ongoing investigation.
The court documents state that Corbett was the only employee overseeing the Tribe’s finances during the theft. Embezzlement and theft from a tribal organization is also a federal crime. It is unclear if Corbett will face federal charges at this time.
Corbett’s bail hearing was scheduled for March 5. His pre-indictment hearing is scheduled for March 19.
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