OKMULGEE, Oklahoma – Feb. 28, a hearing is scheduled in the Muscogee Creek Nation District Court of a civil suit filed by Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town Governing Committee members against Wilson Yargee.
The Suit claims that Lena Wind, Mary Tiger, Ghastin Harjo, Bernadette Whitetree, Anna Merritt, Wendy Wind, and Brian Williams were unconstitutionally removed from their positions on the AQTT Governing Committee by Wilson and Rovena Yargee in their roles as Chief and Second Chief of the AQTT.
These plaintiffs assert that Wilson and Rovena Yargee were elected to their positions on May 27, 2021, and removed by the Tribal Town Membership on October 28, 2021.
The suit alleges that after the meeting which resulted in their removal on Oct. 28, both Yargees changed the locks on tribal offices, reorganized the structure of the Tribal Town, and appointed themselves and an immediate family member to the Economic Development Authority Board.
According to the suit, it was at this time that the Governing Committee members were unlawfully removed from the Tribal Town Membership and elected positions, and banned from AQTT Tribal property.
The suit also claims that Yargee removed members of the Economic Development Authority Board unconstitutionally, and intimidated and harassed employees of the AQTT Smoke Shop in an attempt to disrupt business and ban employees from premises.
The suit seeks a restraining order and preliminary injunction against Wilson and Rovena Yargee to prevent the pair and those acting on their behalf from representing that they have removed the plaintiffs as Tribal Town officers and committee members.
In a series of letters to the AQTT membership, Wilson Yargee refutes the allegations listed in the suit and claims the the procedures used to remove him from office were unconstitutional.
Yargee claims that he hired an external accounting firm to audit the Tribal Town and its business which uncovered that operational costs exceeded the tribal revenue and Federal stimulus monies were sent to members before the Tribal Town had received the funds resulting in a $125,000 negative balance.
Yargee asserts that when the results of this audit were presented to the governing committee, an illegal vote was taken to remove himself and his Second Chief Rovena Yargee.
Mvskoke Media will have further updates in this developing story.
