Ex-Blackfeet chairman gets 10 months prison in fraud case

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A former Blackfeet Nation chairman who defrauded a tribal Head Start early education program through an overtime pay scheme was sentenced Monday to 10 months in prison and his plea to be spared prison time because of the coronavirus was denied.

Willie Sharp’s attorney had argued the Bureau of Prisons was unprepared for the unfolding pandemic, saying the 66-year-old defendant’s age and health problems put him at high risk of complications if he becomes ill with the virus.

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