By Annette Francis
APTN Investigates
When it comes to theft, an Elder’s lodge is the last place you’d expect it to happen. Especially on a First Nation. But that’s exactly what took place at the Iroquois lodge, located on Six Nations of the Grand River territory in Ontario.
That’s where Donna Russell’s seven-year battle began.
It’s where her now-deceased aunt Thelma Clause resided. At the time Russell took on the responsibility of power of attorney. She says her aunt received great care during her time at the lodge, but she never anticipated the troubles that would follow.
During a visit in 2007, Russell says she found a letter in her aunt’s bedside table.
“It said, ‘Six Nations is taking over Iroquois lodge and everything would be starting from that date forward,'” Russell said.
According to Chief Ava Hill, who was a band councilor at the time, “things weren’t operating properly.”
So the band took over and eventually, a financial audit was done.
This was when things went awry for Russell, and her search for her aunt’s bank account began. She went to the Bank of Commerce, located outside of Six Nations and received some shocking news.
“They had said that they closed the account or moved it or whatever,” she said.
Russell says the band wasn’t much help, but eventually a lodge employee advised her the account had been moved to the Royal Bank in Ohsweken. She claims her Aunt Thelma’s account had been moved into a trust account at the RBC, without her consent or knowledge. What was even more concerning is, the balance of Aunt Thelma’s account was $7,000.00, which according to Russell, fell far short of what it should have been.
Russell says the balance should have been $48,000.00. Back in 1998, her Aunt Thelma had a verbal agreement with Janice Mt. Pleasant, the lodge’s Office Administrator. The agreement was that Thelma’s home, located on the reserve would be rented to Mt. Pleasant’s brother for $200 a month. Mt. Pleasant was to deposit that amount each month into Thelma’s account.
Eventually Russell went to the police, and following a forensic audit and an investigation Mt. Pleasant was charged with fraud over $5,000.00. In 2011, the Ontario Court of Justice sentenced Mt. Pleasant to nine months house arrest and ordered her to pay over $50,000.00 restitution.
According to Chief Hill, no money has been paid back. She says the whole situation ended up costing the band.
“The papers, the statements were in such disarray it was really hard to figure out. Some of the residents owed money and then if any money was owed to any of the residents if their families brought receipts or whatever, those were accommodated,” she said.
And as for Aunt Thelma’s money, Chief Hill says that was a private arrangement with the individual that was charged.
For the full story, watch tonight’s episode of APTN Investigates.
