Navajo Nation Council committee is investigating $24 million in federal relief funds tied to ZenniHome; subpoenaed witnesses did not appear at the June 2026 hearing on Navajo Nation Department of Justice advice
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The Navajo Nation Council's Budget and Finance Committee opened a weeklong investigatory hearing in June 2026 into what happened to $24 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated for ZenniHome, a now-defunct housing initiative at the Navajo Generating Station. KJZZ reported that subpoenaed witnesses failed to show up on the advice of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, which sent a same-day memo advising government employees not to attend or testify. In April 2026 the Council said Controller Sean McCabe reported continuing to get conflicting information from the Office of the President and Vice President and the Division of Community Development about the funds. KJZZ also reported that a special prosecutor appointed in August 2025 is conducting his own investigation. Council Delegate Norman Begay said the president has been saying on the radio that the money is still there, but that the Council cannot find it. The Navajo Nation Financial Fraud Hotline accepts tips about fiscal fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement in Navajo Nation programs.
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