Former tribal official sentenced in fraud case

SPOKANE — A tribal official who diverted tens of thousands of dollars intended for foster children was sentenced Wednesday to more than a year in federal prison.

Tawhnee Willow Colvin, of Davenport, was convicted on 26 counts of bank fraud and embezzlement from the Spokane Tribe of Indians. She will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay $100,830 in restitution.

Colvin was assistant director of the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Child and Family Services. Between October 2019 and November 2023, she made more than 70 unauthori...