April 27 at the U.S. District Court in Marquette has been set for the trial of former Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Police Chief Fred Paquin, 52, and his daughter, Mary Cullen, 28, both of St. Ignace.

Mr. Paquin pled not guilty in January to charges related to an alleged conspiracy to defraud the United States of America by dishonest means. Mrs. Cullen was arraigned on four charges Friday, March 5, in the federal court and stood mute, which means she did not speak, but the court entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf.

An initial pretrial is set at the federal court in Marquette at 1:30 p.m. April 15, a second pretrial for April 20, and the trial will begin April 27.

In an indictment by a grand jury, Mr. Paquin is facing 15 charges and Mrs. Cullen four charges, related to an alleged conspiracy to pay Mrs. Cullen as a full-time employee after she was no longer working full-time for the tribe.

The two will be tried together on all counts before a judge and a 12-person jury, said U.S. Attorney Maarten Vermaat.

Representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated Mr. Paquin's activities between May 2002 and May 2008, which resulted in the indictment filed Tuesday, January 19. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General, Fraud Detection Office assisted in the investigation.

After being arrested and arraigned in Marquette in January, Mr. Paquin was released on a conditional bond. Mrs. Cullen, who appeared for her arraignment March 5 but was not arrested, was also released on a conditional bond pending the trial date.

Mrs. Cullen is a teacher at Gros Cap School in Moran Township, and district Superintendent Bill Peltier said there would be no immediate change to her employment status there, although the school board would be required to consider her employment status if she is found guilty of any of the charges.

Mr. Vermaat declined to comment on what sentence the judge may give the two if found guilty, but each of the counts against Mr. Paquin in the indictment carries either one, five, or 10 years imprisonment plus fines, financial restitution, probationary periods, and fees. Each of the four counts against Mrs. Cullen carries maximum sentences of five years imprisonment, fines, fees, and probationary periods.