A 68-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling federal funds from a tribal nonprofit for her personal use.
Debbie Rawle of Tacoma was the former executive director of the Western Washington Indian Employment Training Program for several years until October 2019. She entered her guilty plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to embezzling about $100,000 meant for the nonprofit, according to a news release by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The nonprofit served to provide employment and training services for eligible tribal members. It is now defunct and no longer receives federal funding, the release said.
According to the plea agreement, the program received $698,153 in 2018 and $703,388 in 2019. The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Indian and Native American Programs administered the funds, the release said.
In September 2019, the Division of Indian and Native American Programs led an investigation into expenses made on the nonprofit's debit card at Macy's. Rawle claimed the purchases were work-related, but an investigation showed otherwise. There were multiple purchases of items for Rawle's personal use, including a new mattress, sunglasses and clothing, the release said.
The investigation revealed that Rawle used the debit card for purchases at Best Buy, Amazon and Costco. Some purchases made were a cedar pavilion and above-ground swimming pool from Costco. On Amazon, she purchased a pool maintenance kit, and motorcycle accessories costing more than $1,000. In all, the embezzled funds amounted to $99,990, the release said.
"The Western Washington Indian Employment and Training Program (WWIETP) provided education, job training, and employment services to Native Americans through grants funded by the U.S. Department of Labor," said Quentin Heiden, Special Agent-in-Charge, Western Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General in the release. "As Executive Director, Debbie Rawle used her position at the WWIETP to embezzle these funds to personally enrich herself. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively identify those who commit similar crimes and bring them to justice."
Rawle agreed to pay $99,990 in restitution. She will be sentenced on Jan. 5, 2024. Embezzlement from a program receiving federal funds is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the release said.
