U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Backs Call for Lac du Flambeau Tribe to Repay Town in Road Dispute

By Joe Morey Rez Life Weekly Editor

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has expressed willingness to investigate a contentious dispute between the town of Lac du Flambeau and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, potentially seeking compensation from the tribe for approximately $600,000 in road access payments that a Wisconsin congressman has characterized as "extortion."

The attorney general's indication came during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on February 11, 2026, when U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wisconsin, pressed Bondi on the matter. Tiffany had first requested Bondi's involvement in an August 2025 letter, describing a dispute that left residents and elderly homeowners forced to snowmobile across frozen lakes during winter months to reach their vehicles and access emergency services.

Tiffany has been vocal in his characterization of the tribe's actions, referring to the $600,000 in payments the town made to the tribe as "extortion." During the committee hearing, he described residents being "trapped" when the tribe erected barricades on four roads crossing tribal land in January 2023.

"We had elderly people that had to snowmobile across the lake in the wintertime to get to their vehicles to get to emergency services," Tiffany stated, painting a picture of hardship for non-tribal residents living within the reservation boundaries.

The congressman has framed the tribe as "perpetrators" in what he views as an illegal shakedown of both the town and individual homeowners who depend on the disputed roads for daily access to their properties.

Tribal President Fires Back

Lac du Flambeau Tribal President John Johnson Sr. issued a strong rebuttal to Tiffany's characterizations, calling the congressman's statements "false and inflammatory" and describing them as a "direct attack on our sovereignty."

In the tribe's official response, Johnson emphasized that the payments were "voluntary and lawful" arrangements made between the town and the tribe, rejecting the extortion allegations outright. The tribe maintained that the temporary access agreements were "designed to protect public safety and offer a temporary solution" to a complex jurisdictional dispute.

Johnson and other tribal leaders have also framed the conflict as part of a broader struggle over territorial jurisdiction and the tribe’s ability to govern within reservation boundaries. In prior public statements about the dispute, Johnson argued the issue extends beyond access to a handful of roads and is rooted in the historical loss of tribal land and authority, saying it reflects whether the tribe’s government will be respected on its own trust territory.

“It feels like our voices are going unheard in our own territory,” Johnson said during the dispute, while also criticizing state actions related to the conflict as “discriminatory and disrespectful.”

The tribe has also sought compensation for what it describes as years of unauthorized use of roads on tribal land. Under a tribal ordinance cited in past reporting, Johnson said the town would need to pay $9.6 million for past trespassing before access permits would be issued.

The tribal leadership's position centers on a fundamental disagreement over land rights and the legal status of easements that had been in place for decades.

The Road Dispute's Origins

The conflict erupted in January 2023 when the Lac du Flambeau Band erected barricades blocking four roads that traverse federally held trust land within the reservation. The tribe argued that the town of Lac du Flambeau had been trespassing on tribal land for years without valid easements.

According to the tribe, previous easement agreements had expired, and the town continued using the roads without proper authorization or compensation. Tribal leadership has repeatedly described the dispute as a jurisdictional and sovereignty issue, who controls and sets terms for access on reservation trust lands, rather than what Johnson has called a “simple road dispute.”

The tribe’s position has also been tied to broader historical grievances about land loss and what it views as outside governments acting without consent on tribal territory. Johnson has said state and local responses to the tribe’s actions have been “discriminatory and disrespectful,” and argued the tribe’s concerns have not been treated as legitimate governmental objections.

The roads in question provide the primary: and in some cases only: access routes for dozens of non-tribal homeowners living on properties within reservation boundaries.

When negotiations between the tribe and town broke down, the tribe took the dramatic step of physically blocking the roads, creating an immediate crisis for affected residents.

Homeowners Caught in the Middle

Town Supervisor Stephanie Greeneway was among those directly impacted by the road closures. She described feeling "trapped" during the dispute, unable to access her property via conventional means.

The closure forced residents to seek alternative routes, including traveling across frozen lakes during winter months: a potentially dangerous proposition that raised serious safety concerns. For elderly residents and those with medical conditions requiring regular access to healthcare facilities, the barricades created genuine hardship.

The town ultimately agreed to make payments totaling $600,000 to the tribe in exchange for temporary permits granting road access while the legal dispute played out in federal court.

Legal Battle and Federal Involvement

The dispute quickly escalated into federal litigation. In May 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on behalf of the tribe, seeking damages from the town for what the tribe characterized as years of unauthorized use of tribal roads. The tribe has said it is seeking compensation for past trespassing, including a $9.6 million figure that Johnson cited in connection with a tribal ordinance governing road-access permits and past use.

The case took a significant turn in August 2025 when U.S. District Court Judge William Conley rejected the tribe's trespassing argument. Judge Conley ruled that homeowners have a legal right to access their homes and ordered the four roads to remain open.

The Department of Justice initially appealed Judge Conley's decision, but in a notable development in February 2026: just days before Bondi's congressional hearing: the department withdrew that appeal. The withdrawal left Judge Conley's ruling in place, effectively ending the federal government's legal support for the tribe's position in this particular matter.

Sovereignty vs. Access Rights

The Lac du Flambeau road dispute highlights ongoing tensions regarding tribal sovereignty and the rights of non-tribal residents living within reservation boundaries. The case touches on fundamental questions in native politics about how tribes exercise jurisdiction over reservation lands held in federal trust.

Tribal sovereignty advocates argue that tribes have the right to control access to and regulate activities on their lands, including charging fees for easements and road use. The Lac du Flambeau Band maintained throughout the dispute that it was exercising its legitimate governmental authority to protect tribal interests and ensure fair compensation for use of tribal infrastructure.

Critics, including Rep. Tiffany, contend that such actions amount to unfair treatment of non-tribal residents who purchased property with the reasonable expectation of road access and who may have limited alternatives for reaching their homes.

What Comes Next

With Attorney General Bondi's expressed willingness to work with Rep. Tiffany on investigating the matter, the dispute may enter a new phase. Bondi's potential involvement could lead to a federal review of whether the tribe's actions violated any federal laws or whether the payments should be returned to the town.

The tribe, for its part, has signaled it will vigorously defend its position. Tribal President Johnson has emphasized that the tribe acted within its legal rights as a sovereign nation and that characterizations of the payments as extortion misrepresent the voluntary nature of the agreements reached with the town.

For residents of the Lac du Flambeau area, the practical question of road access appears to be resolved following Judge Conley's ruling. However, the broader legal and political questions raised by the dispute remain unresolved.