He protested against 'racist' Indians logo - then stole money from Native Americans

A man who had held protests against a logo with what he saw as a "racist" depiction of Native Americans was sentenced Wednesday, for stealing from a program meant to benefit Native Americans.

Here's what happened

Robert Roche, 71, was sentenced to four months in prison, four months of home confinement, and restitution of the amount he stole, $77,000.

Federal prosecutors said that he took money from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant to pay for his personal expenses. The money was awarded from the federal government to the American Indian Education Center in Parma, Ohio.

Roche served as the executive director of the education center.

He was also accused of trying to intimidate witnesses by suing them during a time he was negotiating with federal prosecutors.

Roche's program has received nearly half a million dollars in grant money from the same program he defrauded. Federal authorities will "monitor" his nonprofits while he is serving his sentence.

The controversy over the "Chief Wahoo" mascot and logo for the Cleveland Indians concluded in January 2018 when Major League Baseball and Commissioner Rob Manfred and the team agreed the logo was “no longer appropriate for on-field use.”

The logo will be phased out completely in 2019.

Here's an old news report about the controversy from 2014: