Oops! Forgot To Check Finance Director's Criminal Past

by Gary Snyder

He neglected to tell his new employer a few things. He was, nevertheless, hired as finance director of the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s Pleasant Point Reservation

• Charles Fourcloud's real name is Arlynn E. Knudsen
• He appears to have changed his name multiple times, and been hired for financial oversight positions by tribal institutions in Washington, Texas, Maine and possibly other states.
• In 1997 pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering, income tax evasion and, with four others, embezzling $2.66 million in federal money from the Lakota tribal institution in South Dakota, where he was vice president for business affairs. Knudsen was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for the crimes against Ogala Lakota College. 
• He was initially hired because Fourcloud impressed the tribe’s hiring committee with his qualifications and his cultural background. Fourcloud was fired from his job at Pleasant Point, one of two Passamaquoddy reservations, only after police arrested him in the tribal government’s parking lot on a charge of driving under a suspended California license. 

Fourcloud was in charge of their $11 million budget and an investigation is underway to see if there was any wrongdoing during his four months of employment. 

Tribal officials said did not do a criminal background check. Searches of criminal databases, by the police, using Fourcloud’s Social Security number, quickly uncovered many of his aliases and his criminal past. Police further stated that “we’re still trying to tie up the loose ends of this guy’s past because he seems to be doing this in multiple towns all across the U.S. using different names.”




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