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How It Works

A brief summary of who is connected to who and how.  For more information on how this criminal enterprise continues to thrive in present time, read the BLOG.  More of an insight into the daily lives of what you find when you turn over rocks on the rez.

Connections in High Places
“The Power Club”


Throughout the investigation, the “Power Club” had sole access to all of the information, witnesses, and evidence. James Yankton, in his key position, and with the help of Spencer Hellekson, and Dennis Fisher and the cooperation of O.J.Semans, and other corrupt individuals in both the Tribal Police Dept, and the Devil's Lake Police Department, was able to prevent the investigation from looking at anyone in his family.

In court documents, *Yankton admits to destroying evidence, and Fisher admits to abusing the subpoena process and the Courts find this acceptable to secure a “guilty” verdict. (See No.96-4230NDF Appeal from the Untied States District Court for the District of North Dakota, Section C. Prosecutorial Misconduct , Pg. 13, 14 and Addendum, pg 10, para. 23)

This “Power Club” had only one impediment in this case: Capt. Melvin Grey Bear. He was too honest and would never "go along".

Together, the investigators in this unholy alliance constructed a scenario that focused on the son of Melvin Grey Bear, Loren Grey Bear as the main suspect. Creating a ficticious "Conflict of Interest" issue, they were not only able to remove Melvin Grey Bear from prying into the investigation, but were also able to divert attention away from the events at the home of Celeste Herman and more importantly, away from James, Roger and Quentin Yankton.

Loren Grey Bear had a terrific alibi:  Like many teenagers and young people in that community, he threw a party when his parents were gone.  There were at least 17 witnesses who would say he was partying with them all night long.  One of them was the son of a Judge. 

Yankton decided to use the opportunity at hand to also implicate another young man that he had not liked: Terry Dunn.  But Terry also had a good alibi witness. 

All of these impediments were considered "minor" to the Power Club.  They could say and do anything they wanted.  If a bigger lie was needed, they would build a bigger lie. No problem!

It was relatively easy for the Power Club to create a fictitious venue for the murder; the home of Bernice Juarez. They were able to construct a “suspect list” from the names given by Loren Grey Bear and Terry Dunn as their alibi witnesses.

When Billy Fox refused to change his story, he became a suspect as well. When he tried to stand up in court an proclaim that he had seen Eddie at the Herman house, with Quentin Yankton and James, he was immediately arrested for “perjury”, and whisked off to prison.


Erosion

With the advent of new blood hiring or transferring into the B.I.A., the Power Club began to erode.

Quentin Yankton: Serving time for Child Molestation conviction. * James Yankton is apparently trying to persuade is bigger, dumber brother, Quentin, to take the fall for Eddie's murder should there be another trial.  Hard to say which of the Yankton boys is the lower on the food chain at this point.

*Quentin was released in 2003.  Read more about this on the WOW 3page. Also more on Q'Ball as I like to call him can be found on QBall the Screwball page.  He has become so obnoxious since getting out of prison that I had to create a separate page just for his antics.

James Yankton: Dismissed from the B.I.A. for corruption. Currently working as Head of Surveillance at the Reservation’s Spirit Lake Casino. My sources tell me that his level of paranoia has reached the breaking point. He has installed surveillance cameras with telephoto lenses aimed not only at the road approaches to the casino, but at the Devil’s Lake as well. Expecting to be arrested at any moment, he carries a gun in his boot.

Further, he has apparently installed parabolic microphones in addition to other electronic listening devices,  and additional pinhole cameras to give him total access to conference rooms and private offices.  Given his deviant behaviors, one wonders where the boundaries do lie, if they exist at all!

There is nothing and no one to stop him from surveiling the restrooms or even the private guest suites. Think about that if you are planning a vacation to the Spirit Lake Casino!

Roger Yankton: : Despite having all the charges of embezzlement dropped by Dennis Fisher within moments of his arrest, Roger was terminated from his lucrative position at H.U.D. and now is the Head of Personnel for the Ft. Totten Reservation. My sources tell me that Restless Spirit was copied from the Community College Internet at the Reservation. When Roger was approaching an employee he could normally intimidate, he saw several copies of “Restless Spirit” on her desk and he turned sick white and ran from the room.

O.J. Semans: was fired from the B.I.A. for misappropriating $10,000 of Drug Monies.

Dennis Fisher: : Dismissed May of 1997. Scandalized by his third arrest for shoplifting. Judge Benson, in order to protect Dennis Fisher from prosecution for misconduct and other serious charges, had his records sealed where it showed that Dennis Fisher, contrary to his position as prosecutor, acted instead as defense attorney on behalf of the Yankton boys.

Not only did Dennis Fisher drop the embezzlement charges against Roger Yankton before the ink was dry on the arrest, but he also overpowered the Social Services office in Fargo to protect James "Junior".  By using his position in the US Attorney's office, he had a complaint of Child Molestation against James Yankton dropped on the spot and James Yankton's teen age daughter was forced to return home with her father!!! 

The Social Worker protested bitterly, but to no avail.  His fear for what would happen to the girl who had come with her story and a split lip, was realized when she retracted her story several days later.

James had claimed that he was only being a good father. That he had found marijuana in her purse and had slapped her because..."I am a policeman.  I can't have that sort of thing going on in my house!"  Such righteous indignation from a man who dealt drugs out of the trunk of his police cruiser! 

People have shown up at his house and found him in bed with his daughter.  But, everyone knew what would or could happen to them or their family at the hands of  James Yankton, Spencer Hellekson, Dennis Fisher and Judge Benson if they spoke up. 

That daughter has at least one child by her father, and perhaps all her children are his. 

James ran the rez like his own personal kingdom. After Dennis Fisher was fired from the US Attorney's Office, James had to be more careful.  He can still get Lynn Crooks to jump when he snaps his fingers, but Lynn Crooks will only go so far. He doesn't mind wallowing in the filth, but he doesn't want it to stick to him.

Without Dennis Fisher to weigh in as US Attorney to protect him from any consequences, James would have been in jail a long time ago. James is more careful now, allies are harder to come by.

Dennis Fisher has a lot to answer for, as do Judge Benson and Lynn Crooks. 

Spencer Hellekson: Despite James Yankton’s dismissal for corruption, maintains a close personal and frequent friendship. He retired in 1999 from his F.B.I. job.  James and Spencer are more scared of each other at this point than they are of anyone else.  Each is aware of the others weaknesses.  They both know that when it finally does come down, the one who best points the finger at the others will fare the best.  Spencer, above all, knows he will not survive any prison time. The smart money is on Hellekson spilling his guts first when this whole thing comes unraveled on them.

Celeste Herman: Has never been questioned regarding Eddie Peltier’s presence in her home so close to the reported time of his murder.  She too is haunted by Eddie's murder.  It shows up when she drinks, and repeatedly says she is "sorry".  Apparently, Eddie's spirit is a regular visitor to her nightmares as well.

My sources tell me that her brothers are trying to set her up as the “reason” Eddie was attacked by them. So far, they have not been able to string a story together that even makes sense to them. Their previous story that Eileen Eagleman, Quentin's then live-in girlfriend, was the center of a jealousy feud between Quentin and Eddie.  But that story, given any inspection at all, falls apart at the beginning.

Muddying the waters... :

With all the alibi witnesses securely ensconced in the image of “suspects” and other witnesses hidden and gagged by the subpoena tactic the Prosecution was able to trample the Defense.

Defendants who realized this situation was unwinnable caved in, opting to save themselves by cutting a deal to testify against the others. When they later recanted they told of the threats and harassment, or of being beaten or paid off.  The Prosecution attacks their credibility portraying them as just a bunch of liars to begin with! (Hey! Weren't they your "star" witnesses?)

(NOTE: that even when witnesses were in police "protection," (Yankton) and showed up in court with broken faces, ribs and arms, Judge Benson saw nothing out of place with their suddenly refusing to testify.  Apparently, the hotel they were staying in had evicted them because the noise of Yankton beating and abusing them was disturbing other guests!)


(Note: : According to Grand Jury Transcripts, one alibi witness, Dawn Demarce, changed her testimony when she began a sexual relationship with James Yankton. This left her former boyfriend, Terry Dunn, as a suspect with no alibi.)


Distance Makes the Prosecution grow stronger.... :

It was a convenient packaging system. The trial would be held some 180 miles from the Ft. Totten Reservation and there would be no one in the jury pool that would understand the complexities of the family and friends connections in that area. They would be unable to figure out that several of the people on the list of suspects would never, in real life, hang out together, much less attend a party at the same location.

No one would know of the high moral standards to which Bernice had adhered her life since her being “born again” the previous April. That she would not allow any drinking at her home. It would simply be the word of “suspects” and their families against the word of the “immaculate” agents of law enforcement. 

Ironically, Bernice's home being the closest residence to the highway site, was viewed by police investigators a few hours after Eddie's body was found.  They went to inquire if anyone at the residence had seen or heard anything from the night before.  The yard was clean.  There was no sign of any activity, no beer bottles, cans, or any other indication that anything had taken place the previous night.  Police even made a note that the yard seemed in order. "Very clean" remarked one.  He felt that this was the home of a person who had some self-respect.

Later, when the Hit and Run scenario sank like a stone, and the whole other party scenario was concocted, the only place within any reasonable distance to the highway scene was Bernice Juarez's home!

Imagine if you will, a party that contained anywhere from 15 to 50 people (depending on when you look at the suspect list of alleged "attendees") all of them drinking and getting out of hand, fights breaking out, and finally two beatings and a murder... and all these so-incredibly-drunk-they-can't-see-straight individuals then cleaning up the mess and leaving the yard and premises in a serene condition!  Ever try to get your friends to clean up after a party?  What are the odds that after allegedly partying for over 12 hours that day all these people could leve no trace? Not much!

Wouldn't most people in that condition, regardless of murder or fight, just run off? Just leave?  It is hard enough to get help cleaning up after any large party.  Most people know that.  It's generally the day after when people decide it won't clean up by itself and pull out the green bags and start mopping up. 

Visualize, without laughing if you can, that a crazed drunken mob has partied most of the day and on into the small hours of the next day, passing out, puking, and fighting en masse, beating a man to death and then suddenly, in a twinkling, they all become Mr. Clean and start cleaning up the scene! In the dark!

Were any of this true, the clean up would have still been ongoing when the police came to her house to begin with. 

 No, people would have bailed.  Besides, there would have been blood there.  No blood was ever found anywhere at the Juarez residence.  They never looked for blood.  Odd, don't you think?  They say a murder took place there, the victim's body had less than half a pint of blood left in him, there was only the smallest trickle of red fluid (water and blood) on the highway, but they never look for blood evidence at the place they decide the murder took place? Was this just an oversight? Or did they already know that they wouldn't find any, and THAT would complicate the case they were building, right?

In fact, there was only the smallest amount of blood on the highway pavement.  Eddie had been cleaned up and his clothes changed before his body was dumped on the pavement.  Did this drunken mob of  Mr. Cleans also take care to wash Eddie's body and change his clothes?  (Remember, Eddie was wearing Quentin Yankton's blue jeans when he was found.  Jeans that were almost 6" too long for him and too big. )  The question of how Eddie, who was last seen in white painters pants, ended up wearing Quentin Yankton's jeans has never been answered.  Eddie, in fact, never owned a pair of jeans.  He hated them. "Wouldn't be caught dead wearing them ugly things." Well Eddie, seems that last part was ironicaly inaccurate.

The story of how James Yankton and friends took Eddie's body to James' Mother's house, and they dragged in two sisters who lived nearby and told them to "clean him up good", and as their reward, a six pack of cheap beer was put on the table for when they were done.

The Yankton boys MOM, Pauline Greywater (She's a real piece of work.  I will tell you more about her later) cleaned him up to remove any fibers or other trace evidence evidence from Eddies battered, lifeless body. They changed his clothes for the same reason...put a pair of Quentin's big assed blue jeans on him. THAT story makes sense.

And it fits with what the ambulance attendent's noted in their logs when they picked up Eddie's body that morning: "No blood, clothes are clean.  Body is damp, even through the clothing, but not blood. there was, however a pencil thin trickle of red, watery fluid that seeped from the head onto the pavement."

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Bias is a valuable tool.... :

Court Transcripts reveal Judge Benson siding with the Prosecution on every objection to maintain that no prosecution witness would be exposed for their lack of credibility. The witnesses’ motivation for testifying was never allowed to be explored.

Witnesses were arrested, charged with a felony (misprison of a felony) immediately jailed with James Yankton as their jailer, released only after they agreed to give the Prosecution's script of the events. Their records were then sealed by court order and the jury was never allowed to hear the methods of “persuasion” : used by the Justice Department to secure their testimony.

Years later, when new blood transferred or hired into the B.I.A., many of the Key Witnesses came forward and recanted their testimony and told horror stories of how they had been threatened, beaten, their families threatened, or even that they had taken money, large sums of money, to testify according to the script presented to them by James Yankton and his minions.

But the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in the person of Judge Comny, after stating that he “abhorred” : the methods and means used to procure their testimony, and after granting a new trial, did at the last moment reverse himself and allow the verdict to stand. One can only wonder what influences motivated Judge Comny to suddenly accept something he previously “abhorred.”

Dirty Secrets:


Maybe it is true that everyone has a skeleton or two in a closet. When it comes to the family Yankton, that may take on a much more literal meaning.

During the Eddie Peltier investigation, Terry Dunn stepped forward and told investigators Semans and Hellekson the Dirty Secrets he knew about James Yankton, Jr..

He gave a list of several incidents of misconduct, including James selling drugs while on duty and the frequent abuse of government vehicle privileges.

* One of the incidents he recalled went back to when Eddie was still a cop and laughingly issued a ticket to James Yankton, Jr..

“ What are you giving me a ticket for?” Yankton yelled. “You know I don’t have a license!” (the consequences for not having a driver’s license would seriously have impacted James Yankton Jr.'s career with the B.I.A., especially since he was driving Federal property vehicles and transporting persons in the course of his job duties.

The charges were never investigated, therefore never ruled out, but Terry Dunn went to the top of the suspect list in the Eddie Peltier case. Terry had a good alibi witness in the person of his girl-friend, Dawn DeMarce. Or so he thought....



“It is said that Love and Justice are blind...” :

Dawn DeMarce, who at the time of the murder was the girlfriend of Terry Dunn and his alibi for the night in question had found new love in the person of James Yankton, Jr.

When he began dating Dawn DeMarce during the investigation, he made it clear she should change her story about being with Terry Dunn at the time of the murder. She states in her Grand Jury Testimony that James told her that she had to be mistaken about where Terry was because all these other people were saying he was at the Juarez Party. She changed her testimony in a way that would please James Yankton, Jr..

Terry Dunn, was one of the lucky ones. He was able to escape a life sentence. The charges he lodged against James Yankton, Jr., despite the level of seriousness, were never investigated.

Read the WOW page for an update on the threats to Terry Dunn and his brother Maynard Dunn.  Seems the Yanktons want them dead or silent and don't care which. This time they are planning to hire out the job. Too bad for the Yankton boys.  They really like that personal touch, but it would be too risky. 

A badge is sometimes called a shield... :

James Yankton, Jr. used his badge as a shield against answering for any of his misconduct. With his friends, Spencer Hellekson, Dennis Fisher and O.J. Semans and others,all in critical power positions, anyone who wished to register a complaint against James or the Yankton Family, had nowhere to turn.


*James Yankton, Jr. is a person who needs to be in control of everyone and everything. The badge was his edge, the visible symbol of power. But an even greater hedge against being held accountable were his allies: Spencer Hellekson, O.J. Semans, and Dennis Fisher. In many ways, with their corruption and their weaknesses, they all needed one another. If not mutual admiration, then mutual exploitation.

What is surprising about all of these incidents is that somehow, despite everyone around him stinking of corruption, none of it seems to stick to FBI  Guy, Spencer Hellekson. Not one investigation appears to have resulted from his close association with known criminal co-workers and friends. It would seem that a policy of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” permeates the Bureau hierarchy throughout his tenure.

* In another instance, James investigated the suspicious death of Alfred Littlewind who had died a few days after receiving his fatal injuries at the home of James' brother, Quentin Yankton.  Was it any surprise that the death was ruled “accidental”?

(Continued)