A $25,000 check issued by the Four Corners Monument to the Navajo Bill of Rights has tribal investigators wondering how funds can be signed over to a law.
The check is co-signed by Wallace McGilbert, project manager at the monument and a cousin of suspended tribal chairman Peter MacDonald.McGilbert also is a founder of the MacDonald support group Voter's Alliance. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday or Thursday.
Check No. 1521 was issued from the chapter-monument account at First National Bank of Farmington and is co-signed by Teec Nos Pos chapter secretary Verma Francisco, who said Wednesday she doesn't remember signing it.
The check turned up when Navajo police used a search warrant July 28 to obtain records from the monument after 37 vendors at the site filed complaints with the U.S. attorney's office in each of the Four Corners states. They charged that the foundation has extorted unauthorized fees from vendors since 1985.
The Navajo Bill of Rights is similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights and was enacted in 1967. Tribal officials and Navajo attorneys say they know of no way to contribute funds to a law.