Leaked documents are alleging that the Intertribal Council of Nevada, a nonprofit organization, overdrew $1.6 million from a National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant.
The NTIA grant was used for broadband infrastructure projects.
The documents come from a recent ITCN meeting.
An anonymous source shared the images with 2 News Nevada.
The board claims that former Executive Director, Deserea Quintana may have "potentially misled the ITCN Board as to the true financial health of ITCN throughout her tenure."
However, later on, it says the administration does not have enough evidence to identify clear wrongdoings from previous leadership, but some concerns have been raised.
Part of that concern is that $1.6 million.
That comes from a grant that was supposed to pay contractors for working the grant over the past year, "but it appears to have been spent elsewhere."
Other documents say that ITCN has a "cash on hand" issue with possible financial mismanagement starting around 2017.
Official actions the board is looking to do a forensic audit of all ITCN programs, and with former staff. The other is contacting law enforcement, and the Office of the Inspector General.
The board may cut staffing down to what it calls “skeleton crews”, keeping only essential positions.
All work under the NTIA grant will pause so the council does not receive more invoices it can’t afford.
According to a Legal Memorandum sent to 2 News Nevada, back in January, an emergency board meeting was held to terminate the Head Start program. The program provided children with pre-K skills, mental health, and other services for families with disabilities.
The former Executive Director still had a job but then was gone days later.
We asked the council why the program closed, but they have not answered.
The memorandum was issued after the meeting, saying “legal and ethical concerns” with Quintana, resulted in an investigation and a fiscal review.
She was gone days later.
The council sent us a statement; you can view it below.
Former Executive Director Quintana also sent 2 News Nevada a statement.
“I was no longer serving as Executive Director as of late January and had no authority over any grant draw activity after that time. During my tenure, the award supported multiple broadband infrastructure projects, majority of which were substantially completed or underway…”
“… All NTIA draw requests were submitted under an approved advance payment process, required a 30-day expenditure plan, and were reviewed and approved by the agency prior to release of funds. We did not have the ability to draw funds outside of that federal approval process. Any reference to an “overdraw” should be evaluated in the context of timing of expenditures versus approved draws, particularly given known project delays, and I recommend confirming the specific dates and approvals associated with the figure being reported.”
ITCN says it will continue to provide services without disruption, and more updates will be provided as information becomes available.
The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada board are looking to undergo a massive audit.
