Sioux Falls Woman Pleads Guilty in Federal Court to Making a Materially False Statement
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that Tami Haug-Davis, age 63, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on May 11, 2021, and pled guilty to an Information that charged her with Making a Materially False Statement.
The maximum penalties upon conviction are as follows: five years in federal custody and/or a $250,000 fine; a period of supervised release of three years; a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund; and restitution may be ordered.
Beginning on or about September 2016 until February 2019, Tami Haug-Davis was the Director of the Missouri Valley Crisis Center (MVCC) in Chamberlain, South Dakota. During this time, MVCC was funded in large part by state and federal grants, awarded by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. MVCC received funds from the following federal grants: Family Violence Prevention Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and Crime Victims Assistance, and Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime.
In the fall of 2018, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Victim Services Program (DPS) conducted a review of MVCC pursuant to their receipt of federal and state grants. DPS later issued MVCC a Corrective Action Plan dated October 11, 2018. The plan listed 17 items for which MVCC needed to provide supporting documentation to DPS, including a corrective action that MVCC must provide detailed board meeting minutes from the last three meetings and a complete list of the Board of Directors.
MVCC provided a response to DPS’s directive for more information. Following receipt of MVCC’s response, a complaint was issued by the State of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation. On March 28, 2019, the Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation regarding the management of MVCC as it had provided federal grant monies to MVCC. The Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General joined the investigation, as it had also provided federal grant monies to MVCC.
As part of the joint investigation, federal agents with each agency interviewed Haug-Davis. On August 30, 2019, and July 14, 2020, during interviews with federal agents, Haug-Davis knowingly and intentionally made materially false statements regarding the creation, submission, and veracity of board meeting minutes and documents provided to DPS in response to the October 11, 2018, corrective action plan. Her statements were made about a matter within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, and she knew her statements were untrue when she made the statements to investigators.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, and the State of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri.
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has been set for August 2, 2021. The defendant was released on bond.