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WASHINGTON — The founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian has agreed to repay the Smithsonian Institution more than $9,700 for improper travel and entertainment reimbursements, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The report from Smithsonian Inspector General A. Sprightley Ryan was issued following scrutiny last year of W. Richard West Jr.’s extensive travel expenses. He spent more than $217,000 on transportation and luxury hotels in 2006 and 2007, according to calculations in the audit.
West, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, retired in 2007. The report noted that during 17 years at the Smithsonian he raised more than $155 million to establish the museum and was a “beloved and accomplished leader.”
