(Continued from)

Dancing with Skeletons:

James Yankton, Jr. : was known as a bully. There were often complaints of his sexual misconduct, even while on duty, but no charges were ever filed. There were even allegations as to his dealing in drugs.

And he had a serious history with Eddie Peltier. Terry Dunn stated while Eddie was a cop, he issued a ticket to James. And James became enraged, allegedly making the statement “Why are you giving me a ticket? You know I don’t have a driver’s license!” : (If that was true, he could have lost his job with the B.I.A.) Newspaper accounts give reports of his “bragging” about having killed Eddie Peltier and others.

The alibi Yankton gives for the night of the murder is a lie: : The party he claims to have been attending in nearby St. Michaels was a wedding party, but that wedding was on Friday and the party concluded on Saturday at noon. Lynn Crooks and Dennis Fisher chose to ignore this obvious flaw in the case and the Jury never knew.

When the Power Club eroded in the 1990’s James Yankton Jr was investigated for misconduct/corruption and dismissed from his law enforcement job. Nonetheless, F.B.I. agent, Spencer Hellekson remains his very close personal friend.

Quentin Yankton, : a bad tempered, over-size bully who beat up on women and molested children. Until the Power Club eroded, he could depend on his brother James and his connections to cover-up his conduct. When Alfred Littlewind was severely beaten, and witnesses say they saw Quentin doing it, it was later changed to a misunderstanding of what they saw. Apparently Quentin was trying to stop others from beating Alfred. Right.

At some point in Alfred’s lengthy recovery, while visiting at Quentin Yankton’s home they had a disagreement and Alfred ended up dead. Eileen Eagleman, Quentin’s common-law wife, says that Quentin pushed Alfred out the door, and then threw a stereo at him. When she looked out, and saw Alfred lying motionless and the stereo next to him, she concluded that the stereo had landed next to Alfred and that he probably fell and accidentally hit his head.

She then states that Alfred was on the steps when Quentin 'gave him back his stereo'.

Either way, Alfred Littlewind was dead and Quentin was cleared immediately. In Quentin’s original statement regarding Eddie Peltier, he said he last saw him around “sunrise” that morning. His later statements say around 2 or 3 a.m. putting him a safer distance from the time of death.

The convenience of having one’s own brother investigate his conduct was highly visible. When the Power Club eroded, he was charged and convicted and served 8 years serving time for Child Molestation.

Roger Yankton, : for almost 20 years enjoyed all the perks of being the Administrator of all the H.U.D. funds that came to the Tribe from Washington D.C. He played favorites with the swift approval of housing for friends and family and exceedingly lengthy delays or outright denials of housing to those who were not in his favor.

When an investigation in 1994 led to charges of 22 counts of embezzlement and fraud, and U.S. Attorney Dennis Fisher raced to the courthouse and dropped all charges with no explanation. By so doing, he effectively prevented further investigation into where the missing money may have been “invested”.

Even though the charges were dropped at the arraignment, H.U.D. Officials dismissed him from his post. No investigation as to where the money went was ever conducted. A likely connection would be to Dennis Fisher himself. After the source of available money dried up, Dennis Fisher was caught 3 times for shoplifting, leading to his dismissal from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

NOTE: Roger and James with the recommendation of Spencer Hellekson enabled Pete Belgarde to take over the HUD Management position.  Pete was a corrupt Devil's Lake Police Officer who had helped concoct a story of "hit and run" of Eddie Peltier to help cover up the murder. 

Installed as the new HUD Officer on the Rez, was his reward for loyalty.  It also enabled the Yanktons to continue accessing the millions of dollars that flow through that agency every year without audit or oversight. 

Celeste Herman, : the sister of James, Roger and Quentin Yankton. It was at her house that witnesses (kept secret from the Defense attorneys) state they last saw Eddie Peltier alive. They saw him with both James and Quentin Yankton. There are numerous accounts that there was a party going on at her house. One neighbor reported hearing a woman screaming: " Stop hitting him James! You’ve already killed him!”

In the days and weeks that followed the death of Eddie Peltier, Celeste’s house was gutted and remodeled. The disposal of carpeting and other items remains a mystery. Since that time she is seldom out of the watchful eye of her brother, James. It is reported that when she gets drunk, she wails about having “hit him too hard”.

But when she is sober, the subject of Eddie Peltier is met with a stony silence. She has never been questioned by anyone  in law enforcement about Eddie being in her home that night and early morning hours, despite the numerous witness accounts of his being there. She remains insulated from the investigation.


Spencer Hellekson, F.B.I. Agent: Transferred from his assignment in Kansas City, Kansas under unusual circumstances. It was a well-known fact that he had an alcohol problem and that it had come to the attention of his supervisors. But before any action could be taken, the hand of Fate stepped in and created Spencer Hellekson, F.B.I. Hero.

It seems he was in a bank in Kansas City when one in a series of take-down robberies occurred. He shot and killed one of the robbers. Whatever disciplinary action his supervisors had been contemplating went out the window with this single act. To discipline an agent who might be called as a witness in a case as big as this would have been political suicide.

Quickly and quietly he was transferred to the remote outpost of Fort Totten Indian Reservation. He quickly became friends with James Yankton, Jr. and their mutual admiration for one another continued throughout the Eddie Peltier Case, and on to this day.

He was due to retire in December of 1997. He held on until the last possible moment. (NOTE: : His replacement, Mike Wilson has a serious case of hero worship where Spencer Hellekson is concerned.

When Shirley Greywater filed a complaint about death threats being made against her and her children by James Yankton in 1998, Mike put down his pen and stopped his notes. It seems unlikely that he would be able or willing to investigate the friend of his hero. According to Shirley Greywater, James was threatening to burn down her house with her and her children in it if she did not stop telling her story. 

Shirley Greywater, aka "Beasely" was only 15 at the time of the murder and had been threatened by Judge Benson, personally, in his chambers, that she would be arrested, and her parents would be arrested and her small babies would be taken away from her and she would never see them again if she refused to testify, perjur herself to support the Prosecution's case!

She was one of the first to come forward and recant her testimony and tell what had been done to her to make her lie.  Seems the one thing the Yanktons fear most is the Truth, regardless of who tells it. 

All Good Things Must End

With James Yankton, Jr., O.J. Semans and Dennis Fisher no longer involved in the Justice Department, and with Roger Yankton no longer having direct access to millions of dollars in government funds, Spencer’s retirement would be the final exit of the power club in the Fort Totten Reservation. 

Lynn Crooks continues to support Yankton, Hellekson in any way he can.  He must be getting uncomfortable about how deep into the dung heap he has to wallow in order to preserve his own reputation.  That he must now and forever ally himself with murderers, thieves and deviants such as James Yankton, and his cronies must severely disturb this man who above all, wants to appear as pure as the driven snow.  His participation is the only thing that made all of this possible.  Without it, James Yankton and his accomplices would have stood trial for the murder of Eddie Peltier.

Lynn was expecting to get the nod for the Federal Judgship position, but when the time came, he was passed over without so much as a mention.  Someone, higher up, did not want the smell of  the Yanktons and their bunch stinking up the halls!

Lynn has taken it all in stride.  Had a couple of heart attacks, and stays actively involved in some of his key cases.  One of them is the Leonard Peltier case, the other is this case and the third is Gordon Kahl's case.  All of them stink of his corruption and of fabricated evidence and suborned perjury.  It is less out of his dedication to the job and more out of his fear that his files will reveal his career of corruption that keeps him doggedly clinging to any opportunity to remain "involved" as a consultant or administrator of any aspect of these cases. 

I can hear him screaming at the top of his lungs (he did that in court a lot) trying to intimidate anyone that would get too close to the truth.  He's probably reading this right now and clutching his chest.

For when the facts about the investigation, cover-up and corruption come out, his part in the scandal will far surpass any shoplifting charges laid onto Dennis Fisher.  For a U.S. Attorney to be found guilty of a criminal conspiracy would demand a thorough housecleaning not only in this case, but in the whole Justice Department.  Anyone in the Justice Department who turns a blind eye to these events, this corruption is also aiding and abetting after the fact. 

Silence

 "All that is needed for Evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."  I can't recall who said that, but nowhere is it more true than in the Justice Department.

I believe there are people who sign on to become FBI agents, or US Attorneys for the most noble of ideals.  I believe that those individuals are sickened by revelations of corruption and conspiracy within their own ranks.  But, I also believe they have a fear in them that far surpasses any sense of right or wrong, justice or injustice.  They have a "career" to pursue and much invested in that.  The very people that are in power over them are or are influenced by the very worst elements within their ranks.

Unfortunately, when you get this high up in power and influence, those under you have no power and are subject to your influence.  The goal changes from investigating and prosecuting the guilty, to preserving the reputations and sanctioning the corruption that can best make or break your own career. 

This creates an atmosphere where people in high positions in the Justice Department, instead of shouldering a greater responsibility, and being held to a higher standard, are in a position to enslave those beneath them to look the other way or conspire to cover up the corruption. The higher up you go, the more immune you are from answering for your own conduct and criminal activities. 

Dennis Fisher, by example, had not climbed high enough.  His behaviors of shoplifting did not come to light until the third time.  How many times before that had he escaped by means of his position?  How many store owners had relented under pressure or deceit from the Justice Department?  One can only guess at this point.

How much more could he have gotten away with if he had advanced to the next level? 

The real irony of Dennis Fisher's arrest and subsequent dismissal from the U.S. Attorney's office is this:  He is thoroughly discredited.  If he were to come forward with any information to purge his conscience, it would be almost no problem whatsoever to have him dismissed as "unstable" or "unreliable."  But remember, this person is the same person who participated in the protection of James Yankton and others, and knowingly prosecuted the innocent instead. 

That the Justice Department makes people immaculate and above question when they want to use them, then blithely dismisses them as "flaky and/or unreliable" when they want to discredit them is a tactic we have already seen in previous cases, as well as this one. 

Oddly enough, being discredited the way he is, Dennis Fisher is the one person that need not fear for his life.  It would be more suspicious for the Power Club to remove him than it is for them to discredit him.  He is the one who is the safest from the others.

There are those who have seen enough to know that everything I have said, and more that is yet unsaid, is the truth, but they are afraid to pursue simple justice because they lack the very courage and strength it would take to live up to the ideals and oaths that they took when they signed on for the job.  They are content with being able to function "under the illusion" of righteousness and justice and law. 

However, as we have seen before and are seeing here illusions are made of sand.  Any foundation built on these illusions will not serve to support anyone's house of cards forever.   James Yankton and his family and friends, Spencer Hellekson, and all their cronies are now afraid of the truth, and of the weaknesses they once exploited in one another.

They fear the truth and one another.  They have already turned on Quentin.  The only question remains: "Who will opt for the best deal for their own skin?"  Lynn Crooks, Dennis Fisher, James Yankton and of course, Spencer Hellekson all know how powerful is the the influence of immunity or limited immunity. 

Care to place a bet?