Convicted SD Tribal Chairman's Appeal Denied

A former Crow Creek Sioux tribal chairman convicted in a bribery and kickback scheme has lost an appeal.

Duane Big Eagle is serving three years in federal prison for August 2011 convictions on bribery-related charges. He was convicted in a scheme in which tribal officials were rewarded for giving contracts to construction companies for work at the tribe's school.

Big Eagle appealed his convictions to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying some evidence should not have been allowed at trial. The 8th Circuit judges rejected that argument, saying Big Eagle and his attorney did not object when the evidence was presented during the trial.