SPOKANE, Wash. – In a statement issued September 11, Spokane Tribe of Indians announced Tahwnee Colvin was convicted on more than two dozen counts of Bank Fraud and Theft from a Tribal Organization, stemming from charges filed in 2024.
Colvin, the former assistant director of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) office working with the Spokane Tribe, had sole access to their Per Capita Payee account between 2019 and 2023. This fund was intended to pay for tuition, medical care, groceries and other expenses of children in the custody of DCFS. This includes foster kids and those without permanent guardians.
Colvin made more than 50 fraudulent money transfers from the account and into her own, totaling over $100,000. She left on a little over $26 remaining in the account, with some of the fraudulent transactions taking place even after she was fired in 2023 (her termination was for reasons unrelated to the embezzlement).
When the person hired to fill Colvin’s position gained access to the account, they reported the suspicious transactions.
Frieda Zimmerman, Assistant US Attorney, explained the significance of the funds.
“The money was supposed to be spent to ensure the health and welfare of vulnerable children, and these children were in the custody of DCFS,” said Zimmerman. “The person who was supposed to be looking out for them was in fact taking the money and taking advantage of that.”
Instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, Colvin used the money on her own daily expenses. Court documents revealed Colvin spent the money on places Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Costco and more.
“Particularly in a case like this, where the defendant abused her position of trust at the expense of a vulnerable population, that’s the type of case that is very important to this office,” said Zimmerman.
A tribal member, who wished to remain anonymous, reached out to Nonstop Local to speak about the impact of this case on the tribe. They shared their grandchildren had been placed in their custody by Colvin during her tenure with DCFS.
“Money that is supposed to be put in these kids’ trust accounts helps them after graduating high school and starting their lives as adults and she took that from many of them. She didn’t only steal from them, she stole from the entire tribe. What she stole from the tribe was our trust we once had for the program. The mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles that had trust in the program no longer do. She’s a nice woman. Why theft got ahold of her is beyond a lot of us.”
Colvin’s sentencing is set for December 15. She faces up to 30 years in prison.
