A 55-year-old Centralia woman is the latest charged in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme that resulted in the theft of over $100,000 from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
According to prosecutors, Leesa L. Fishbeck cashed two checks totalling $11,770 for payments pertaining to a forged rental agreement. Michael Draper, the alleged mastermind of the scheme that stole funds intended for housing and elder services, reportedly authorized the payments.
Draper, a contractor and former employee of the tribe, is accused of using a fake company to bill the tribe for numerous jobs that were never completed. He remains in federal custody on charges of unlawful firearm possession. Investigators found two polymer “ghost guns” — one a handgun and the other an AR-style rifle — inside Draper’s truck following his arrest in January.
Fishbeck made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Friday, charged with two counts of second-degree theft and one count of forgery. Each count is considered a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
A judge released Fishbeck on a $10,000 unsecured bond. According to prosecutors, Fishbeck’s only felony conviction is for bail jumping in 2011.
Fishbeck's attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, said Fishbeck works as an independent healthcare provider.
According to a probable cause affidavit, tribal investigators learned of two checks written to Fishbeck in August and October 2025. The first had been listed as purported payment for past-due rent, the second for a two-bedroom home, with rent to be “paid with program income.”
The tribal detective leading the investigation discovered the supposed renter was unaware of the rental agreement. The agreement had been forged.
The woman told the detective she and her husband had owned their home for 40 years and did not pay rent. They didn’t even know Fishbeck, according to the affidavit.
The detective determined Fishbeck’s signature on the forged agreement corresponded with the signature on her driver’s license. In August, the detective reportedly confirmed Fishbeck had presented her driver’s license when cashing the two checks.
Fishbeck is scheduled for an arraignment on Oct. 8.
An expanding case
In September, prosecutors charged Shannon D. Long with five counts of first-degree theft after police learned of a series of suspected fraudulent purchase orders involving Long’s construction company, Honey Do Construction. Draper had allegedly created the purchase orders.
According to prosecutors, Draper hired Long to complete a variety of home updates for the tribe's facilities and its elders. Those jobs, which allegedly were never completed, included the installation of new cabinets, an ADA door, a ramp and an HVAC unit. Other alleged work never completed included roof drain replacement, drywall repair and bathroom upgrades.
According to the affidavit, the amount paid to Long totaled over $40,000.
Draper awaits trial in Lewis County Superior Court for five counts of first-degree theft related to a series of fraudulent purchases for items such as a water filtration system, a water heater and two new water pumps. According to a tribal contract coordinator, work for those related services was never done.
Prosecutors have accused Draper of hiring and paying a fake company, Kellam Environmental Services, for the bogus jobs.
Draper's girlfriend, Elicia Kellam, awaits a sentencing hearing on Oct. 21 after making an Alford plea to five amended counts of second-degree theft. Prosecutors said the address listed for the fake company was the same address listed on Kellam’s driver’s license.
“The defendant's actions resulted in far more than a financial loss to our Tribe,” Cowlitz Indian Tribe Chairman Williams B. Iyall wrote in a letter to the court in advance of Kellam’s sentencing. “Every dollar stolen was a dollar taken away from the Tribe's essential services to provide for our Elders, Tribal members, families, and other vulnerable native populations who rely on these resources. Specifically, those funds were held for housing, elder services and care, food assistance, education assistance, and cultural programs.”
Police apprehended Draper in January following a high-speed, multi-agency pursuit that led to his and Kellam’s arrests in Thurston County. Charges stemming from the alleged chase have since been dismissed in Thurston County Superior Court, according to court records.
