Our Tribal community should have received a message today that Cedric Cromwell and David DeQuattro were held accountable for the damage they caused to our tribal community. Unfortunately, DeQuattro received one year of home confinement, and Cromwell remains free while he appeals his sentence of 36 months, followed by one year of supervised release and a $25,000 fine.

Our Tribe petitioned the court for the maximum sentence because that is the justice our people deserve. We demanded it because the corruption they are guilty of diverted funds from programs and services that needed it and because it robbed our people of the trust they placed in our tribal officials.

Our tribal nation wants to put this chapter of our history behind us and focus on what is truly important. We've made amazing progress over the past year – we've improved access to education, elder, and cultural programs while moving forward with sustainable economic, food, and housing developments. These programs positively impact our community, yet our progress as a Tribe continues to be overshadowed by the prolonged wait for justice.

As we move forward, we may seek fairness in our traditional circles and focus our energy as a sovereign nation on what's critical today, building a thriving Wampanoag Tribe for the next seven generations.