On Monday, a federal grand jury in Anchorage indicted Teresa Judkins, former chief executive of the , on charges of embezzling more than $100,000. The panel brought two counts of “theft, fraud, and misapplication from an organization receiving federal funds,” based on allegations that Judkins used commission money for personal air travel and the purchase of a snowmobile. Judkins served as chief executive of the commission from 2007 until 2008, when she was fired. The AEWC opposes commerical whaling in Alaska but oversees traditional subsistence whaling and represents native whalers before the International Whaling Commission. Hunting whales for traditional use is legal for Alaska natives but is banned under the for non-native residents.
Read more at