Bondi Backs Tiffany’s Call to Make Tribe Repay Town in Northwoods Tiff

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she’s willing to work with a Republican congressman who wants to force a northern Wisconsin tribe to reimburse the town of Lac du Flambeau for payments to access roads.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, first asked Bondi in an August letter to seek compensation for the town in its longstanding dispute with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

In January 2023, tribal officials placed barricades on four roads after failed negotiations between the tribe, the town of Lac du Flambeau and title companies. The feud stemmed from long-expired easements, or the right to cross someone else’s land, on the roads. The tribe eventually reopened them in March that year, but the federal government later sued the town for trespassing on the tribe’s behalf.

On Feb. 11, Tiffany raised the issue again with Bondi at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. He reiterated that road closures prompted people to snowmobile across frozen lakes to reach vehicles parked at neighbors’ homes and raised concerns about access to emergency services.

“The perpetrators of this, the tribe out there, they demanded compensation from the town. I would call it extortion,” Tiffany said. “They ultimately got $600,000 from the town of Lac du Flambeau.”

Tiffany asked Bondi directly if she would investigate the matter and seek compensation.

“We would more than welcome working with you,” Bondi said.

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment. Tiffany’s plea follows a letter sent by the town to the tribe, requesting reimbursement for road access payments.

In a statement, Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Sr. fired back at Tiffany, calling the congressman’s statements “false and inflammatory.”

“To mislead the public by calling the tribe ‘perpetrators’ is not only irresponsible, it is a direct attack on our sovereignty, our treaty rights and our reputation as a sovereign government,” Johnson said.

The tribe said the roads cross land that’s held in trust by the federal government for the benefit of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and its members. The tribe maintains the town trespassed on that land for years because it lacked valid easements.

In August, U.S. District Court Judge William Conley rejected that argument and sided with homeowners, saying they have a legal right to access their homes. The judge ordered the four roads must remain open.

The U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision, but the appeal was withdrawn earlier this month.

Stephanie Greeneway, a town supervisor, said she had to cross a frozen lake for months to get to her vehicle at another neighbor’s home, hauling groceries and other items across the lake.

“I did feel trapped. There was not a point where I could just go and ask to be let out of there,” Greeneway said. “We had a family emergency. I was told once I left, I could not come back. That is a feeling of not having some access when an emergency struck.”

Greeneway said she supports Tiffany’s call for an investigation into the $600,000 that the town paid the tribe.

The tribe said permits granting temporary access were “voluntary and lawful,” adding they were designed to protect public safety and offer a temporary solution for the town and homeowners.

“These payments were not extortion, and any claim to the contrary is both inaccurate and inflammatory,” the tribe said.

The Lac du Flambeau tribe said it remains committed to protecting its treaty-protected lands and working with government officials “to resolve road and access issues in a manner that respects tribal sovereignty, resident safety, and the legal framework governing Indian lands.”

The tribe first sought $20 million in damages for what it said was trespassing by the town. Tribal leaders later asked for roughly half that amount, and they wanted to issue annual leases in exchange for a fee equal to 1.5 percent of the fair market value of homes along the four roads.

Listen to the WPR report

US Attorney General endorses call to make tribe repay town in Northwoods roads dispute was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.