WINDOW ROCK, AZ (AP) -
Prosecutors overseeing a Navajo Nation fraud case say they expect to file criminal charges against 10 to 15 of the defendants.
A civil complaint accuses 85 former and current tribal officials of defrauding the tribal government in the use or management of $36 million in discretionary funds.
Prosecutors from the Rothstein Law Firm have requested that civil charges against four of the defendants be dropped. They expect that most of the defendants' cases will be settled, dismissed or result in ethics complaints.
Prosecutors say they'll file some criminal cases within three months.
The prosecutors detailed the plan Tuesday in a motion for a three-month extension of the case in tribal court.
The deadline for responses to motions to dismiss and for attorneys to produce documents in the case is Friday.
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