A Wisconsin congressman wants to force the Lac du Flambeau tribe to pay back money collected during a standoff over road access.
7th District Republican Tom Tiffany sent a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi this week calling for the Department of Justice to secure reimbursement for the Town of Lac Du Flambeau. The tribe cut off access to a group of private properties on tribal land in 2023 by blockading roads and demanding restitution after an easement for the roads expired.
This month a federal judge sided with the Town in the dispute, saying the tribal roads were listed as public in the federal register. Tiffany calls the $600,000 the tribe collected an “illegal shakedown.”
Lac du Flambeau leaders say they’re considering their option to defend their treaty rights.