MARTIN, S.D. - A 59-year-old Martin, South Dakota woman has been sentenced to just over a year in federal prison for stealing money from a tribal organization. Madonna Peterson, the former chief financial officer of the Wild Horse Butte Community Development Corporation (WHB), was convicted of larceny.

Between 2014 and 2021, Peterson exploited her position to steal from WHB by writing unauthorized checks to herself and submitting fraudulent reimbursement requests for nonexistent travel and supplies. She used the stolen funds for personal expenses, including gambling at casinos.

In addition to her prison sentence, Peterson has been ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $150,000 in restitution to WHB.

WHB is a nonprofit organization located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It operates several key community programs, including an emergency domestic violence shelter, a Lakota internship program, and a diaper donation initiative.