Special prosecutor files second-amended ethics complaint against Buu Nygren

Special Prosecutor Kyle T. Nayback filed a second-amended ethics complaint in Navajo Nation District Court accusing Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren of six violations of the Navajo Nation Ethics in Government Law tied to the 2025 budget process and related personnel actions. The filing centers on allegations that President Nygren pressured the Navajo Nation controller in fall 2025 to authorize transfers of restricted funds into the Office of the President and Vice President (OPVP) operating budget without legal authority.

According to the amended complaint, when the controller declined to approve those transfers because of legal and budgetary restrictions, the controller was terminated and replaced by an individual who subsequently approved the transfers. The complaint cites 2 N.N.C. § 3744, described as relating to “conduct reflecting credit upon the Navajo Nation government,” and 2 N.N.C. § 3745(B), described as relating to “misuse of public office and actions creating the appearance of impropriety.”

The second-amended filing supplements an earlier complaint announced by the Navajo Nation Office of the Speaker on Nov. 21, 2025. That initial complaint alleged misconduct occurring between January 2023 and May 2025, including that 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 earlier document also alleged staff were directed “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,” that Nygren “improperly hired his father-in-law, John Blackwater Jr., to a political at-will position despite Blackwater being related and lacking required qualifications,” and that the president “required at least one staff member to perform domestic and personal duties including childcare, cooking, cleaning, and managing personal bills.”

The Navajo Nation District Court has issued a summons to Buu Nygren that requires a written response within 20 days. Nayback’s filing seeks remedies that may include removal from office, disqualification from future public service, forfeiture of compensation, public reprimand, and restitution, all “subject to adjudication by the court.” Nayback has emphasized that “an ethics complaint filing is a legal allegation, not a finding of guilt.”

For McKinley County residents, the allegations reach beyond headlines: disputed transfers into the OPVP operating budget raise questions about allocation of restricted funds that support services across the county and the Nation. Key facts remain unresolved in publicly available filings, including the names of the controller and the replacement, the exact dollar amounts involved, and a formal response from the Office of the President and Vice President.

Expect the litigation and any administrative or court scheduling to shape local conversations about fiscal oversight and public trust. The immediate next step is a written response from President Buu Nygren within the court’s 20-day window; further proceedings will determine whether the remedies sought by the special prosecutor move forward.