Staff Reports
This week a federal indictment landed on the doorstep of Santa Ana Pueblo’s housing agency. Prosecutors say two sisters, who ran Tamaya Housing Incorporated, used federal Indian Housing Block Grant money the agency received to pay fake vendors and then pocketed much of the cash. If true, it’s a raw betrayal of the people the program was meant to serve.
What prosecutors allege about the Tamaya Housing fraud
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico says the indictment charges Sharilene Jeff and Sandra Jeff with conspiring to divert HUD-funded housing dollars. Prosecutors allege the scheme ran from November 2021 through May 2022 and involved transfers of roughly $50,000 and $63,500 to people who did not do the work, with instructions to return most of the money in cash. The indictment says cash pickups happened in Las Vegas, Seattle and Arizona and that recipients were told to withdraw small amounts to avoid detection. Those are allegations, not convictions, but they paint a clear picture of alleged theft from a tribal housing program.
Who the defendants are and where the case goes next
According to the indictment, Sharilene Jeff was the interim executive director with access to grant accounts, and Sandra Jeff was the office manager — the latter having served earlier in the New Mexico House of Representatives. The charges include conspiracy and multiple counts of theft: Sharilene faces five additional theft counts, Sandra two. If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in prison. The announcement came from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and HUD OIG Special Agent in Charge Grant Permenter; investigators on the case were HUD OIG and the Santa Ana Pueblo Police Department. Sharilene is detained pending trial, and Sandra is released on federal supervision while the court schedule is set.
Why tribal housing fraud matters — and why taxpayers should care
The Indian Housing Block Grant program is the largest federal source for tribal housing help. Those dollars pay for homes, repairs and services for Native families who need them. Stealing that money doesn’t just break rules — it steals roofs over heads. Prosecutors rightly pointed out that every dollar diverted is one fewer dollar serving the community. If the allegedly responsible people had ethical compasses, maybe the money would still be doing its job instead of being counted in motel lobbies across the West.
The law will now run its course, and we must remember the presumption of innocence. Still, this indictment is a wake-up call. Tribal leaders and Tamaya Housing should answer tough questions about internal oversight and accounting controls so trust can be rebuilt. And if the allegations are proven in court, let those who abused their positions face the full measure of the law — and maybe return every penny to the families who were cheated. No one should get to treat federal housing dollars like a private slush fund, and voters and taxpayers ought to demand nothing less than accountability.
