A Davenport, Washington woman has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison after being convicted of embezzling more than $100,000 from the Spokane Tribe’s Division of Child and Family Services. Tawhnee Willow Colvin was found guilty on twenty-six counts of bank fraud and embezzlement from a tribal organization following a jury trial in September 2025.
United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell handed down the sentence on January 21, 2026. In addition to her prison term, Colvin will serve five years of supervised release and must pay $100,830 in restitution to the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Colvin worked as Assistant Director for the Spokane Tribe’s Department of Health and Human Services and its Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). She had access to a bank account holding funds meant for children in temporary tribal custody. Between October 2019 and November 2023, Colvin made over seventy fraudulent money transfers from this account to her personal bank account, starting with small amounts before escalating to thousands of dollars per transfer. The total amount transferred exceeded $50,000; she also withdrew more than $50,000 in cash from the same account. After being terminated from her position on October 23, 2023, Colvin continued transferring funds into her own account.
At sentencing, Judge Pennell commented that evidence against Colvin was overwhelming and highlighted that she took money intended for foster children for herself.
“In an egregious breach of trust and solely for her own personal interest, Ms. Colvin exploited her position as the Assistant Director of DCFS for the Spokane Tribe of Indian to steal thousands of dollars from vulnerable children over a period of years,” stated First Assistant Pete Serrano. “Brazenly, Ms. Colvin continued her crimes even after the Tribe terminated her employment. Sadly, it remains unknown how many children Ms. Colvin harmed through her crimes. The United States Attorney’s Office is grateful for the diligent efforts of the FBI who investigated this case, the trust and collaboration of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, and the prosecutors and staff at our office who ensured Ms. Colvin was brought to justice.”
“For years, Ms. Colvin abused the faith placed in her as a public servant to steal tribal funds intended to care for children in foster care,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “For her own personal gain, she stole more than $100,000, leaving the account almost completely drained. Every one of these dozens of transfers diverted resources away from the most vulnerable members of our society and into her pockets. The FBI is committed to holding accountable fraudsters who choose greed instead of safeguarding the funds under their stewardship.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this case while Assistant United States Attorneys Frieda K. Zimmerman and Jeremy J. Kelley prosecuted it.
