Special Prosecutor Alleges Six Ethics Violations by Nygren Over 2025 Budget

Special Prosecutor Kyle T. Nayback filed a second amended ethics complaint in Navajo Nation District Court on Feb. 2, 2026, alleging that Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren committed six violations of the Navajo Nation Ethics in Government Law tied to the 2025 budget process and related actions. The filing follows an initial public announcement in a Nov. 21, 2025 media release from the 25th Navajo Nation Council.

The Nov. 21, 2025 media release stated, “On Friday, Special Prosecutor Kyle T. Nayback filed a formal ethics complaint in the Navajo Nation District Court, alleging multiple violations of the Navajo Nation Ethics in Government Law by Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren.” That release said the complaint “outlines a series of alleged governmental misconduct between January 2023 and May 2025.”

The complaint, as summarized by the council release, contains several specific allegations. The Special Prosecutor “also alleges that President Nygren improperly hired his father-in-law, John Blackwater Jr., to a political at-will position despite Blackwater being related and lacking required qualifications.” The filing further alleges that “President Nygren ordered subordinates to alter Blackwater’s application to falsely reflect appropriate qualifications and placed him directly under the President’s supervision after being advised that such action would violate law and policy.”

The document describes alleged misuse of staff and public funds. “The complaint states that the President required at least one staff member to perform domestic and personal duties including childcare, cooking, cleaning, and managing personal bills, which were outside the scope of their official job responsibilities, violating Navajo Nation law.” The complaint also alleges improper charges on a government card: “The complaint alleges that President Nygren used his Navajo Nation travel P-Card to pay for lodging and meals for his family members during official travel, in violation of policy that prohibits such activity.” The release added that “staff were directed by President Nygren to conceal the p-card charges by falsely identifying family members as Office of the President and Vice President (OPVP) staff and falsifying travel documents.”

The filing “asserts that President Nygren violated several provisions of Navajo Nation law related to the misuse of public office, improper use of his Navajo Nation p-card, nepotism, and wrongfully directing staff to perform non-governmental work that benefited him personally,” according to the press release language.

For Apache County residents, the allegations matter because they are tied to the 2025 budget process and raise questions about transparency and stewardship of tribal resources used to deliver services. The complaint was filed in the Navajo Nation District Court at Window Rock, and it remains an allegation until the court process determines otherwise.

The record provided with the council release does not include the amended complaint text, specific statutory citations, transaction amounts, or responses from President Nygren, John Blackwater Jr., or OPVP. Next steps will include obtaining the full complaints filed in November and February, tracking any court schedules, and seeking comment and records that could clarify the claims. The outcome will shape governance and budget oversight that affect public programs and trust in leadership across the community.