Tom Tiffany urges US DOJ to investigate Lac du Flambeau tribe over road access payments

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany says the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for charging the Town of Lac du Flambeau hundreds of thousands of dollars to use roads crossing reservation land.

In a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tiffany also asked the DOJ to get the tribe to repay the town more than $600,000.

Tiffany, from Minocqua, referenced a prolonged legal battle between the Lac du Flambeau band, town officials and nontribal homeowners dating back to late January 2023. That’s when the tribe barricaded four roads crossing reservation land after negotiations over easement payments stalled. As a result, dozens of residents were unable to access their homes for about two months.

After removing the barricades in March 2023, the tribe began charging the town increasing monthly payments for the roads to remain open as multiple lawsuits worked their way through the courts. 

On Aug. 6, a federal judge ruled in the homeowners’ favor and barred the tribe and U.S. government from restricting access to the roads.

In his letter to Bondi, Tiffany called the monthly fees levied by the tribe an “extortion racket.”

“The town of Lac du Flambeau – a small community with a population of just over 3,000 people – saw its finances pushed to the absolute limit by the unlawful standoff created by the reckless and irresponsible actions of the tribal government,” Tiffany wrote. “It is only fair that as the instigators of this unnecessary dispute, the tribe be held accountable.”

A spokesperson for the Lac du Flambeau Band said tribal leaders were unable to comment on Tiffany’s letter, which is being reviewed by the tribe’s attorneys.

A spokesperson for Tiffany, who has been teasing a potential run for governor, said he is out of the office this week and unable to comment on his DOJ request.