Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Colvin accused of taking foster kids’ money
SPOKANE — A Davenport woman has been indicted on 12 charges of embezzlement in U.S. District Court.
Tawhnee Willow Colvin of Davenport is accused of embezzling more than $100,000 from the Spokane Tribe of Indians while employed by the tribe.
Records show she was employed in the tribal Department of Heatlh and Human Services and Division of Child and Family Services from September 2019 through October 2023.
Court records show Colvin was the assistant director of the Division of Child and Family Services. As such, she had access to per capita funds of foster care children.
According to the indictment, between October 2019 and November 2023, Colvin made more than 50 fraudulent money transfers from those funds, totaling $50,880. The money was transferred to her own personal bank account.
The indictment also alleges that from September 2019 through April 2021, Colvin made 17 cash withdrawals totaling $49,950 from the accounts.
When foster families access the funds for support of children, they are required to sign documentation associated with any withdrawal or transfer, records show. But on these transfers and withdrawals, no documentation exists.
“Individuals in positions of trust have an obligation to protect the funds they oversee. This is all the more important for resources dedicated to vulnerable members of our community, such as children in foster care,” U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref said. “My office takes fraud seriously, and will continue to work with our federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement to expose and prosecute public corruption, self-dealing, and fraud.”
The FBI conducted the investigation into the missing funds, Waldref said. And the case against Colvin will be prosecuted by U.S. Asst. Attorney Dan Fruchter.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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