A new Office of Internal Audit and Ethics report investigating Qualla Enterprises LLC Board of Managers, received June 8 by the Cherokee One Feather, determined managers Morgan Owle-Crisp, Jacob Reed and Albert Rose had not breached the Eastern Band’s Code of Ethics.
It assessed a $250 fine for three violations by manager Tagan Crowe but did not mandate his removal from the board.
The investigation followed a contentious April 2 tribal council meeting, during which Owle-Crisp and former Qualla Enterprises chairperson Carolyn West advocated a resolution suspending Crowe on behalf of themselves and the remaining board members.
OIAE typically handles these matters; citing the needlessly public nature of the complaint against Crowe as well as an absence of supporting evidence, tribal council voted 11-1 to remove West and suspend the entire board of Qualla Enterprises with removal pending an OIAE investigation.
In a story covering this meeting, The Smoky Mountain News shared that when addressing tribal council, West and attorney Richard Frias may have also engaged in the unauthorized practice of law, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
On April 3, the audit office received the grievance against Crowe. A letter dictating investigation parameters established by tribal council and the executive office came one week later.
OIAE interviewed all Qualla Enterprises board members and few “Qualla individuals,” including Frias and West, respectively labeled “Attorney” and “Former Board of Managers.” The early June report noted that throughout the first few weeks of February 2026, Crowe had forwarded several Qualla documents received immediately after his December 2025 appointment.
However, the investigation also reported that among Reed, Crowe, Owle-Crispe and Rose, Reed — with a total of 28 compared to Crowe’s 12 — had sent the greatest number of “not cleared” emails.
Additionally, Reed, Owle-Crisp, Rose and Crowe respectively sent 344, 107, 23 and zero external emails, respectively. Both Crowe and Reed sent emails from their board account to a personal email. While Owle-Crisp and Rose did not send such messages, each used a personal or work account to receive Qualla Enterprises emails.
Crowe later participated as a panelist in a Feb. 25 Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association conference in Wisconsin, though other members had no knowledge of his role or attendance.
“Crowe was absent from his EBCI job on sick leave on the days he traveled to and attended the ICIA conference,” the document read, adding that “employees are expected to use sick leave for legitimate reasons only.”
The same day, Crowe requested time to share about the ICIA event during the board’s Feb 26 monthly meeting. While Crowe was left off the agenda, the board still addressed the conference, emphasizing that ICIA has a hostile relationship with the tribe’s cannabis venture and mentioning Facebook posts contradicting the manager’s account of his experience.
“As of the date of this report, we did not have sufficient predication to investigate other ethical violations,” stated the investigation.
In addition to outlining violations, the document sought to answer several questions posed in the April 10 letter by tribal officials.
In response to an inquiry about board confidentiality and information flow, OIAE noted all but Reed had signed non-disclosure agreements.
Another question referred to the role of Sovereign Solutions Carolina, an external cannabis contractor.
“We did not find sufficient evidence that the QE board excessively and/or routinely referred Board decision-making responsibilities to SSC,” the report stated. Still, it explained, “day-to-day operations are managed by SSC with oversight by the Board.”
Addressing a concern about documentation, the committee clarified that “the QE board did maintain agendas and minutes but there are opportunities for improvement.” Frias has been responsible for preparing both items.
Votes, however, were not recorded. Neither was the complete list of attendance. Additionally, the tribal council liaison was not sent meeting reminders — which included minutes and agenda items from the prior meeting. This was another task delegated to the board’s attorney, and if the liaison was ever notified remains uncertain.
OIAE recommended the board establish both a formal onboarding process for members and a robust record-keeping system with a secretary to organize meeting documents.
The investigation did not mention the cannabis venture’s finances, another point of contention. Since its conception, Qualla Enterprises has yet to release an audit, forensic or otherwise, despite calls throughout the years from various members of tribal administration.