Post by Okwes on Dec 22, 2005 22:03:59 GMT -5
News that the federal Department of the Interior's Office of the
Inspector General is investigating allegations of fraud involving the
local Amah Mutsun tribe is encouraging.
If that investigation delays the application for federal recognition of
sovereignty submitted by one faction of the tribe - the faction bent on
developing the Sargent Ranch - so be it.
These claims involving forged documents, which might affect who controls
the tribe, are serious charges that have the potential to involve
millions of dollars. One faction, headed by Irenne Zwierlein, has
submitted an application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and another
faction, headed by Valentin Lopez, charges that her application includes
forged documents.
Zwierlein and Sargent Ranch owner Wayne Pierce are partners in a deal to
bring a large-scale development to 3,000 acres of the ranch just south
of Gilroy's southern border. If Zwierlein obtains federal sovereignty on
behalf of the faction she represents, she and Pierce will be able to
ignore county zoning regulations, which have successfully frustrated
Pierce's development plans in the past.
Zwierlein has said the existence of forged documents in her group's BIA
application is "absolutely irrelevant" to the sovereignty application
process.
It's a ridiculous claim.
Millions of dollars in development and the quality of life in south
Santa Clara and San Benito counties are at stake. Forged documents are
absolutely relevant and any questions about the authenticity of the
application must be cleared up fully.
This is especially pressing in light of legislation introduced by
Congressman Richard Pombo (R-Tracy) and Mike Honda (D-San Jose) that
could speed processing of the disputed Amah Mutsun application.
The Inspector General's decision to investigate is as heartening as it
is surprising. Too often the government seems willing to look the other
way when a situation gets sticky. Certainly that is the case with both
of our representatives, Pombo and Honda, up to this point, who have only
given this serious matter cursory attention. Hopefully, news of this
investigation will change that.
The Inspector General's investigators should be able to get to the root
of the fraud allegations, and if any criminal activity is uncovered
during the probe, the Department of Justice should prosecute that to the
full extent of the law. The process of gaining federal Indian
sovereignty should be full of scrutiny and free of fraud.
This isn't just a tribal matter. It's a matter of national trust in a
federal process, and it's a matter that will impact our area for the
foreseeable future. The outcome will impact if, when and how thousands
of pristine acres in south Santa Clara County are developed, and by
whom.
Inspector General is investigating allegations of fraud involving the
local Amah Mutsun tribe is encouraging.
If that investigation delays the application for federal recognition of
sovereignty submitted by one faction of the tribe - the faction bent on
developing the Sargent Ranch - so be it.
These claims involving forged documents, which might affect who controls
the tribe, are serious charges that have the potential to involve
millions of dollars. One faction, headed by Irenne Zwierlein, has
submitted an application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and another
faction, headed by Valentin Lopez, charges that her application includes
forged documents.
Zwierlein and Sargent Ranch owner Wayne Pierce are partners in a deal to
bring a large-scale development to 3,000 acres of the ranch just south
of Gilroy's southern border. If Zwierlein obtains federal sovereignty on
behalf of the faction she represents, she and Pierce will be able to
ignore county zoning regulations, which have successfully frustrated
Pierce's development plans in the past.
Zwierlein has said the existence of forged documents in her group's BIA
application is "absolutely irrelevant" to the sovereignty application
process.
It's a ridiculous claim.
Millions of dollars in development and the quality of life in south
Santa Clara and San Benito counties are at stake. Forged documents are
absolutely relevant and any questions about the authenticity of the
application must be cleared up fully.
This is especially pressing in light of legislation introduced by
Congressman Richard Pombo (R-Tracy) and Mike Honda (D-San Jose) that
could speed processing of the disputed Amah Mutsun application.
The Inspector General's decision to investigate is as heartening as it
is surprising. Too often the government seems willing to look the other
way when a situation gets sticky. Certainly that is the case with both
of our representatives, Pombo and Honda, up to this point, who have only
given this serious matter cursory attention. Hopefully, news of this
investigation will change that.
The Inspector General's investigators should be able to get to the root
of the fraud allegations, and if any criminal activity is uncovered
during the probe, the Department of Justice should prosecute that to the
full extent of the law. The process of gaining federal Indian
sovereignty should be full of scrutiny and free of fraud.
This isn't just a tribal matter. It's a matter of national trust in a
federal process, and it's a matter that will impact our area for the
foreseeable future. The outcome will impact if, when and how thousands
of pristine acres in south Santa Clara County are developed, and by
whom.