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Former Comptroller Sentenced to Two Years for Embezzling Over $670K from Yavapai-Apache Nation

Savannah Sandoval Ordered to Pay Over $650K in Restitution, Made Hundreds of Fraudulent Purchases on Tribal Credit Cards

Overview

  • Savannah Sandoval, a former comptroller, has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling more than $670,000 from the Yavapai-Apache Nation.
  • Sandoval was also ordered to pay over $650,000 in restitution to the tribe.
  • As the comptroller and executive director of the Yavapai-Apache Nation Housing Department, Sandoval had access to housing department credit cards and knowledge of its vendor accounts.
  • It was discovered in 2022 that there had been hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases on tribal credit cards.
  • On at least 184 occasions, funds were fraudulently transferred by Sandoval into her personal accounts.