An Anchorage woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $175,000 from the Alaska Native Harbor Sea Commission and using the money for her personal expenses between July 2014 and October 2016.
Joni Bryant, 44, entered the guilty plea on Tuesday, June 15, at the U.S. District Court in Anchorage.
ANHSA is funded primarily through federal grants from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to support tribal nonprofits in collecting harbor seal and Steller sea lion harvest data, and for sampling to monitor the health of Alaska’s marine mammal populations.
Court documents showed that Bryant used the money to cover personal and family travel expenses, personal purchases at stores, gas and groceries, wireless service charges and to pay for personal insurance and utility bills.
Bryant pleaded guilty to a single count of embezzlement and agreed to pay restitution to NOAA of $174,290.67. She is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 17. She faces a potential penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
