How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Robinson Rancheria's tribal chair, who was facing trial for grand theft for allegedly embezzling more than $60,000 from another local tribe, has died.
Tracey Avila, 52, of Nice died following several months of declining health, according to her attorney, Justin Petersen of Ukiah.
Petersen said he was notified by Avila's family on Thursday morning of her death.
He did not know when she died or the exact cause of death, but confirmed she had a number of ongoing health concerns, including diabetes.
“She was recovering from a stroke but had a number of other medical issues, primarily kidney failure,” he said. “I think the combination of those issues just got the best of her.”
Avila was facing trial for having allegedly taken the money while working as Elem’s fiscal officer from February 2006 to September 2008.
Elem began the investigation before requesting federal assistance, with the investigation later assumed by the EPA Office of the Inspector General and U.S. Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Inspector General.
Avila was arrested for felony grand theft in September 2011.
Court proceedings in Avila's case had run into numerous delays.
Her preliminary hearing was rescheduled and delayed until October 2012, when Judge Andrew Blum ordered her to stand trial for the charge.
Trial dates also were repeatedly set and reset, with the defense requesting four continuances of the trial earlier this year, according to Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, who was handling Avila's prosecution.
Avila was last in court Aug. 13, Abelson said. That same month, delays due to Avila's health problems began, and continued into October and November.
On Nov. 13 the District Attorney's Office was told Avila would be in a rehabilitation hospital until next spring, said Abelson.
Petersen said that last delay followed his receipt of a note from Avila's doctor saying that she would be in no condition to continue with the court proceedings until at least April of next year.
As a result, the case had been scheduled to return to court on March 11, 2014, for resetting of the trial date, Petersen said.
Despite the criminal case against her and her health issues, Avila had managed to remain tribal chair.
During her tenure as chair, Avila disputed a June 2008 tribal election that she lost to EJ Crandell, and maintained her seat after the election was thrown out.
Later that same year, she oversaw the disenrollment of dozens of members of the Quitiquit family, who had supported Crandell in the disputed election.
Under her leadership the tribal council also moved forward last year with evictions of several Quitiquit family members from homes on the rancheria. The evictees argued that they resided in homes they contracted to purchase through a federally funded, low-income housing program, not the tribe.
This past January, during another set of evictions, a fight broke out between tribal members and law enforcement who were on the rancheria on standby, with several tribal members arrested afterward.
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