THE HOUSE OF CARDS IS COMING DOWN

For almost three decades several tribal members were relentless in trying to bring justice to the Sault Tribe and the names of those who never hesitated to speak against the corruption is endless.

During this long process, several tribal members lost their jobs for their part and many suffered financial devastation in the name of ‘Retaliation Against Whistleblowers‘.

Through the years, fearless tribal members and employees continued to protest against Bouschor and his questionable acts of greed and corruption which included talks with the FBI on numerous occasions. The rumors that money was being sent to locations such as the Cayman Islands, Netherlands, Canada and even Las Vegas continued to flow through the tribal grapevines. Some would talk but were fearful of going too far only to be discredited by the inability to produce necessary documentation to back up their claims and the price for blowing the whistle was not something that anyone wanted to pay.

Although we can’t forget those who put everything on the line to expose the corruption, it wasn’t until the election of 2004 that we got our first big break. Aaron Payment and Todd Gravelle teamed up to run for seats on the board. During the election, Gravelle called on an acquaintance to assist the tribe. Steve Morello brought with him Ernie Walker and the new team put together a plan to ensure a fair and honest election. For the first time in years, the Sault Tribe had a new chairman, but while the votes were being counted Bernard Bouschor was preparing the final plans to rip off the tribe for 2.7 million dollars to pay off his team of key associates.

When it was discovered that checks written against the Sault Tribe were clearing, Morello advised specific actions to take place that started the infamous 2.7 plus 2 lawsuit against Bernard Bouschor. At a meeting, Gravelle, whose hope was to bring the tribe back to its roots of helping each other, made the motion to sue Bernard Bouschor and the 7+2 to retrieve the 2.7 million taken from the tribe. Another attorney, William Horton, filed the necessary documents and took on what seemed to be the impossible…taking down Bernard Bouschor and bringing justice to the members of the Sault Tribe.

This team fought the majority of the Sault Tribe board who fought back with every conceivable corruptive act they had up their sleeves. Payment and Gravelle lost in an election that most feel was corrupted, as usual, and Morello and Walker were also forced to leave. But the weight of the corruptive forces holding the Sault Tribe members hostage never left their resolve to bring justice to the tribe.

Today, thousands of Sault Tribe members have something to cheer about. The promises have been kept and the lawsuit that many board members wanted to drop is now almost over. First the corrupt police chief, Fred Paquin, has been arrested and now Bernard Bouschor will be held personally responsible for at least 2.7 million but likely a lot more. Two and half times plus legal fees could now be the final knockdown for the Bouschor House of Cards.

Finally, there is justice for the Sault Tribe and its members and a celebration will follow in due time.