By The CUJ
Spokane, Wash. — A former employee of the Spokane Tribe of Indians was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for embezzling more than $100,000 from a Tribal program serving children in foster care, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Tawhnee Willow Colvin, of Davenport, Washington, on Jan. 21, was sentenced after a jury convicted her on 26 counts of bank fraud and embezzlement from a tribal organization. The jury returned its verdict following a trial in September 2025.
The federal judge also ordered Colvin to serve five years of supervised release and to pay $100,830 in restitution to the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Colvin had worked as an assistant director of the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ Department of Health and Human Services and its Division of Child and Family Services.
According to the DOJ, Colvin had access to a Spokane Tribe of Indians bank account that held per capita funds for children in the tribe’s temporary custody. From October 2019 through November 2023, she made more than 70 fraudulent transfers from the account to her personal bank account, starting with small amounts and later moving thousands of dollars at a time. The transfers totaled more than $50,000, and she also withdrew more than $50,000 in cash from the same account.
The Tribe fired Colvin on Oct. 23, 2023. Prosecutors said she continued to fraudulently transfer funds to her personal account even after her termination, according to the DOJ.
“In an egregious breach of trust, Ms. Colvin exploited her position as assistant director of the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ Division of Child and Family Services to steal thousands of dollars from vulnerable children over several years,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said. “She brazenly continued her crimes even after the tribe terminated her employment. Sadly, it remains unknown how many children were harmed.”
Serrano credited the FBI for investigating the case and thanked the Spokane Tribe of Indians, along with prosecutors and staff in the U.S. attorney’s office, for their cooperation in bringing the case to justice.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Pennell noted that the evidence of Colvin’s guilt was overwhelming and showed that instead of using the money for the benefit of children in foster care, Colvin took it for herself.
“For years, Ms. Colvin abused the trust placed in her as a public servant by stealing tribal funds intended to care for children in foster care,” W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office, said. “She stole more than $100,000 for her own personal gain, nearly draining the account. Each of the dozens of transfers diverted resources away from the most vulnerable members of our society.”
Herrington said the FBI remains committed to holding accountable those who misuse funds entrusted to their care.
