A woman from Davenport, Washington, has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison after being convicted of embezzling over $100,000 from the Spokane Tribe’s Division of Child and Family Services. United States District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell handed down the sentence to Tawhnee Willow Colvin 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.
Colvin was found guilty by a jury on twenty-six counts of bank fraud and embezzlement following a trial in September 2025. Evidence presented during the trial showed that Colvin worked as Assistant Director for the Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) within the Spokane Tribe. Her position gave her access to an account holding funds meant for children in temporary tribal custody.
Between October 2019 and November 2023, Colvin made more than seventy unauthorized money transfers from the DCFS account to her personal account. She started with small amounts but later transferred thousands at a time, totaling over $50,000 through transfers alone. She also withdrew more than $50,000 in cash from the same account. Even after being terminated from her position on October 23, 2023, she continued transferring funds to herself.
During sentencing, Judge Pennell said that there was overwhelming evidence against Colvin and noted that she used money intended for foster care children for personal gain.
“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 led this investigation while Assistant United States Attorneys Frieda K. Zimmerman and Jeremy J. Kelley prosecuted the case.
