Hugo Gallegos, alleged fraudster, turns himself in

The accountant who is alleged to have defrauded the Whitecap Dakota First Nation out of millions of dollars has turned himself in after itwas believed he fled the country.

Hugo Gallegos appearedthis morning in a Saskatoon courtroom, where he is facing charges of theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.

RCMP had been unable to track Gallegos down and had issued a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest. He came back to Saskatoon fromElSalvador to answer to the charges

His lawyer, MorrisBodnar, said his client returned to Canada even though he didn't have to.Bodnarsaid Gallegos wants to respond to the charges.

"He's going to deal with the matter andget it over with," Bodnar said. "That's why he came back."

Bodnar said his client wasn't arrested at the airport because the Crown notified authorities.

When asked whether anyone else was involved, Bodnar said, "we'll wait and see."

The Crown consents to Gallegos' release, but he must surrender his passport.

Chief Darcy Bear announced at a press conference in September that the First Nation was missing more than$1-million.

"I would be lying if I said I'm not angry," Bear said at the time. "Ifeel absolutely furious. But being angry won't do us any good right now. What we need to do is take the steps to assist the police to gather evidence and to recover whatever funds we can."

The First Nation notified Saskatoon RCMP of the missing money early last month.Bear had saidthat the lost money hasimpacted the First Nation's cash flow.