Man who protested racist Indian mascots stole Native American grant money

A man known for protesting racist "fake Indian" mascots pleaded guilty to embezzling grant money meant for Native American services.

The Plain Dealer newspaper reported that Cleveland's Robert Roche stole more than $180,000 meant for substance abuse services for Native Americans with the help of grant writing consultant Craig McGuire. He is a member of the Chiricahua Apache tribe and the former executive director of the American Indian Education Center in Parma, Ohio.

The report noted that federal prosecutors said "Roche took a salary by classifying himself as a project coordinator of the programs paid for by the grant, even though the grant's regulations precluded him from doing so."

Along with being a vocal supporter for increased Native American service funding, Roche was also known for protesting the Cleveland Indian's "Chief Wahoo" mascot.