A Native American who admitted embezzling $151,208 from the Caddo Nation was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay full restitution.
Larisha Larell Wabaunasee, 38, of Anadarko, was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2025 on five counts of wire fraud and one charge of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribe organization.
In a plea agreement signed in February, she admitted committing embezzlement and theft, and the five other charges were dismissed. She was sentenced June 29 in Oklahoma City’s Western District federal court.
Wabaunasee was rehired at the Caddo Nation, which is based in Binger, in September 2023; she worked for the tribe previously, but for how long is not mentioned in the court records. Her father was a member of the Meskwaki Tribe and her mother was a member of the Caddo Nation; both are deceased.
During Wabaunasee’s employment with the Caddo Nation, she worked part-time in three departments totaling full-time hours: one-third each in Victims’ Services, Opioid Response, and the tribal Tag Office.
In her job at the tribal tag office, she received and processed payments by Native Americans who were registering new vehicles or renewing registration.
From October 2023 through November 2024, she diverted customer payments into her personal bank accounts for her own use, by creating and using an unsanctioned pointof- sale account.
In November 2024 the Caddo Nation “began looking into a shortage in deposits from the Tag Office,” and Wabaunasee was fired Dec. 5, 2024, a sentencing memorandum relates.
Records obtained during an investigation conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs indicated she was “likely diverting funds from the Caddo Nation Tag Office to her personal account” during her first period of employment with the tribe. However, that could not be proven conclusively, investigators indicated.
After her first stint at the Caddo Nation Tag Office, Wabaunasee apparently worked for the Wichita Nation. During that time, she applied for an auto loan from a bank and claimed her monthly income was $11,500; at that time she was paid $22 per hour, tribal records show.
The sentencing memorandum said Wabaunasee “did not use this money lavishly;” although her motive was “personal benefit,” the funds were spent “primarily to pay bills and support family members in need.” However, the BIA investigation revealed that she took an ocean cruise shortly before her arrest.
The court ordered Wabaunasee to make restitution by paying the greater of $150 per month or 10% of her gross monthly income, starting no later than 30 days after her release from incarceration.
“The Caddo Nation remains focused on healing, accountability and moving forward together as a community,” Caddo Nation Chairman Bobby Gonzalez said.
“While this matter involved the actions of a single individual, it also reflects the strength of the systems we have in place to protect the Nation and our people,” Gonzalez said. “We appreciate the cooperation and professionalism shown throughout this process and remain committed to transparency, restoration, and the well-being for our community.”
“The defendant betrayed the trust of the Caddo Nation and its citizens by diverting customer payments for her own personal gain,” said Western District U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.