Questions over money at a tribal office in North Fork prompt federal agents to serve a search warrant Tuesday morning at Rancheria headquarters.  The U.S. Department of interior is apparently investigating possible fraud.  The investigation is connected to money the tribe receives from a Las Vegas casino.

A North Fork Rancheria tribe member was shocked by the scene at the tribal office.

“I was going to come in and pay my rent, but I see a lot of F.B.I. agents and I don't know what’s going on,” said Joanne Daylor.

Dozens of federal agents move papers and boxes up and down stairs, while tribal council-members standby.  The investigation is led by the U.S. Department of Interior, which won't comment on pending investigations, but does shine some light on the matter.

“I can just tell you that our primary mission is fraud investigations,” said David Brown, Special Agent for the Department of Interior.

According to North Fork Rancheria's attorney, the search warrant is about money the tribe gets from a Las Vegas casino.  A statement from John Maier said this:

“The North Fork Rancheria has offered its full cooperation in the investigation being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior.  The investigation apparently concerns the use and disclosure of the limited funds advanced to the Tribe for its proposed casino project under its development agreement with Station Casinos.  This information is routinely made available to tribal citizens in considerable detail, including general ledger records of each and every check drawn from the project and other unrestricted tribal funds.  The Tribe therefore does not understand the basis for the investigation, and is dismayed that information which the Tribe would have been more than willing to provide is instead being secured with a search warrant.”

One anonymous tribal member isn't surprised.  North Fork Rancheria has been trying for years to build a casino and resort, and three months ago it cleared a major hurdle to move forward with the project.

“We have a lot of people who do not want us to have a casino.  A lot of people are saying, ‘what if they caused it?’  That could very well have happened, we don't know,” she said.

There are about 1,900 hundred members of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.  It is not associated with Mono Wind Casino in Auberry.  That is run by the Big Sandy Rancheria.