2 sentenced for stealing $777,000 from addiction center

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two employees of a Native American addiction and counseling center, including its executive director, have been sentenced on charges of embezzling more than $777,000 in federal funds.

Federal officials in Wisconsin say Fredericka DeCoteau, of Cloquet, Minnesota, was sentenced Friday to 2 years in prison. Edith Schmuck, of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison. A judge ordered DeCoteau and Schmuck to jointly back restitution of $777,283.

DeCoteau and Schmuck worked at Ain Dah Ing, a non-profit halfway house in Spooner, Wisconsin. DeCoteau was the executive director and Schmuck was the bookkeeper. The center offers mental health and alcohol and substance abuse services to Native Americans from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin tribes.