A former Caddo Nation tag-office worker from Anadarko is headed to federal prison, after a judge decided she spent too much time funneling customer cash into her own bank accounts. Last Monday, the court sentenced her to six months behind bars, ordered her to pay back $151,208.25, and placed her on three years of supervised release. Prosecutors say the theft scheme ran through the tribe's tag office and came to light during a federal investigation.
According to News 9, the defendant is 38-year-old Larisha Larell Wabaunasee of Anadarko. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization in a case handled in federal court in Oklahoma City, where restitution was set at $151,208.25.
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma said Wabaunasee admitted that from October 2023 through November 2024 she diverted customer transactions by creating and using an unsanctioned point-of-sale account that routed payments into her personal bank accounts. The office credited the Bureau of Indian Affairs with uncovering the scheme, noted that the case was prosecuted in federal court in Oklahoma City, and cited public filings for additional detail.
Court filings and reporting by KOSU state that Wabaunasee set up multiple fake business accounts through a point-of-sale service, falsely presenting them as the Caddo Nation Tag Office so she could process payments that were then rerouted for her own use. Investigators followed those transactions back to her personal accounts and, according to that reporting, took the evidence to a federal grand jury in November 2025.
Sentence and restitution
The six-month prison term and three-year supervised release tail came after Wabaunasee's guilty plea on Feb. 2, 2026, in federal court. News 9 reports that the judge ordered full restitution of $151,208.25 to the Caddo Nation as part of the judgment.
Legal context
Federal prosecutors pointed out that embezzlement from an Indian tribal organization is no minor bookkeeping error. Under the statutes cited in the U.S. Attorney's Office release, defendants can face up to five years in prison and fines reaching $250,000. “The defendant betrayed the trust of the Caddo Nation and its citizens by diverting customer payments for her own personal gain,” U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester said in the release, which also identified Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon as the prosecutor on the case.
Tribal response and next steps
Tribal leaders have focused on repairing the damage and restoring confidence since the scheme came to light. As reported by KOSU, Caddo Nation Chairman Bobby Gonzalez said the Nation is concentrating on healing, transparency and restoration for the community, while continuing to work with federal partners.
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