Former Curyung Tribe employee faces federal indictment

The Curyung Tribe in Dillingham was one of three tribal communities that volunteered to participate in a pilot program in Alaska created by the Department of Justice to take on what it has called the “MMIP crisis.” . (Christina McDermott / KDLG)

A former Curyung Tribe employee is being indicted for embezzlement and fraud in a federal court.

William Corbett, the former finance director of the Curyung Tribal Council, is accused of embezzling more than $94,000 from the Curyung Tribe. He faces 11 felony charges, including embezzlement, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and criminal forfeiture.

Gayla Hoseth is First Chief on the Curyung Tribal Council.

“The Curyung Tribal council placed Mr. Corbett in a position of the utmost trust and he betrayed that trust. Mr. Corbett came before the council monthly to report on the tribes finances when he was actually orchestrating a fraudulent scheme to steal money from the tribes,” Hoseth said.

Corbett served as the Finance Director for the Curyung Tribe from January 2023 to February 2024, a 13-month tenure that ended abruptly when the embezzlement was discovered. According to the federal charging documents, Corbett was fraudulently acquiring funds from on or around October 6, 2023, to February 21 2024.

Corbett was initially charged in Alaska state court in March. He faced six charges related to the embezzlement of over $80,000 from the Curyung Tribal Council. A federal investigation led to additional charges and the amount of alleged embezzlement was revised to more than $94,000.

Corbett was the only employee responsible for overseeing the tribe’s finances and had full access and authority over the tribe’s financial affairs. Charging documents say he was unlawfully issuing checks from the Curyung Tribal Councils account payable to himself by forging the signatures of authorized tribal council members and the tribal administrator.

Hoseth noted that Corbett’s actions had lasting repercussions. She says Corbett jeopardized the tribe’s ability to secure and utilize government funds for essential community resources.

“You know even if Mr Corbett could repay all of the funds that he stole, the reputational harm our tribe will suffer can not be understated. The harm from his crimes will follow us long after these charges are resolved and long after the amounts are restored,” Hoseth said.

Corbett was released on a $10,000 bail on February 28 and has been awaiting trial. With the new charges, Corbett now faces trials in both state and federal courts.

As this investigation continues to unfold, updates will be provided as new information becomes available.