Fake Tribe Selling Memberships

There used to be a Native American tribe called the Kaweah, but they don't exist any longer. They also have nothing to do with the modern group calling itself the Kaweah Tribe. This group has its headquarters (pictured above) in Wichita, Kansas. It claims to have 10,000 members nationwide, and are still trying to be recognized as an official Native American tribe.

But it turns out that this modern group didn't exist before 1980, and the federal government denied them recognition in 1984. It's founder, Malcolm Webber (Grand Chief Thunderbird IV), is not even a Native American. It looks like the group is little more than a scam. The 10,000 "members" are people who paid from $50 to $1200 for membership to the "tribe".

The group has been targeting undocumented immigrants, promising them that if they buy a membership, they will become United States citizens once the tribe is recognized by the U.S. government. Of course, the government has no intention of recognizing the group, and if they did, it would not make any undocumented immigrant a citizen.

On Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) raided the group's headquarters and arrested Webber. They believe Webber is guilty of fraud by claiming citizenship comes with the membership. They are currently searching through the group's papers, and expect to file charges soon.

Personally, I hope Webber and his cohorts do some serious time in a federal prison (and not one of the minimum-security country-club types). These sick bastards have been preying on the desperation of poor people. Life is hard enough for undocumented immigrants who are just trying to give their families a decent life, without being taken advantage of by these criminals. Fraudulent groups like this also make it harder for real Native American tribes, who are trying to improve the lives of their own people.

Well done ICE and SSA-OIG -- nail the bastards!