[2] He would end up meeting Russell Means, a well-known actor, civil rights activist and founder of the Cleveland branch of the American Indian Movement.
[3][4] In 1995, Robert Roche founded the American Indian Education Center, a non-profit organization that offered a variety of re-entry services for the American Indian population in the greater Greater Cleveland area, including HIV testing, tutoring, smoking cessation classes, cultural programming and resume writing instruction.
Robert Roche has been a highly visible figure on the Cleveland scene for many decades, periodically using his role as a leader in the community to act as a character witness.
[16] Roche worked to raise awareness for Cleveland kidnapping victim Amanda Berry, who is part Native American, by writing letters to the city police department and holding candlelight vigils for her.
"[21] Roche's protest at the Indians' 2014 home opener went viral when local blogger Peter Pattakos, who had hoped to film an argument for an anti-Chief Wahoo documentary, instead staged a confrontation by goading Pedro Rodriguez, a Latino fan wearing red face paint and a fake feather headdress, into approaching Roche on camera.
[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] On 25 June 2014, major news media outlets began reporting that Robert Roche would file a lawsuit against the Cleveland Indians organization in July.
[2] Roche has also been accused by members of the Native American community of using the Center as a platform for himself while failing to provide a consistent regimen of services.
[6] Closer examination to the available financial records, however, showed that Roche paid himself in relative proportion of grant funding allocated to the organization.
Prior to that year, in 2010, when the Center was allocated $42,000.00 in grants, Roche, who served as the executive director, and the sole full-time employee on staff (who also worked seven days a week), paid himself only $12,000.00.
It was revealed that the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also launched an independent investigation into the American Indian Education Center.
There are also matters of personnel costs, related taxes and fringe benefit payments that The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is looking into.
Roche also made an attempt to open a second education center for American Indian people in the city of Columbus, Ohio in spite of financial difficulties faced during 2012.
Although he cited poor health and financial difficulties, Roche registered a 1989 Jaguar in the "unfinished" Columbus Center's name in December 2012.
According to Roche's indictment, the two secured grants meant to support the mental health and wellness programs for American Indian and Alaskan families and children.
Investigators say McGuire submitted false applications to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
"[40] On 16 May 2018, Cleveland.com reported that Roche pled guilty to two counts of theft of government funds for stealing $77,000 in federal grant money meant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant money to improve the well-being of American Indians and Alaskan Natives living in Northeast Ohio.