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CKP Insurance Faced Navajo Nation Allegations. What Did Northern Cheyenne Officials Know?

By Steven Bullcoming Haworth · October 24, 2026

DEVELOPING | PUBLIC RECORDS & INSURANCE

An official Navajo Nation warning, federal guidance on premium financing, and a Northern Cheyenne council presentation leave specific questions about due diligence and public financial records.

By Steven Bullcoming Haworth | Truth in Focus | October 24, 2026

NORTHERN CHEYENNE RESERVATION, Mont. — CKP Insurance, a brokerage involved in discussions of rainfall insurance with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was the subject of a public procurement dispute with the Navajo Nation in 2024. The Navajo government accused the company of procurement violations, inadequate transparency and poor service. Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch subsequently sought appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible misconduct involving CKP and certain Navajo officials.

Those are documented allegations, not findings of criminal wrongdoing. Truth in Focus has not established the final outcome of the CKP-specific investigation. But the dispute raises a question about the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s proposed Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) insurance arrangements: What due diligence was performed, and where are the final contract and council records?

What the Navajo Nation reported in 2024

In a November 21, 2024, statement, the Navajo Nation Department of Agriculture announced that CKP and its president, Chuck Hemphill, had not been renewed for the following year. Officials alleged procurement-process violations, insufficient transparency and customer-service problems. They also accused the company of restricting department access to information used in the Nation’s Agriculture Infrastructure Fund program, potentially delaying benefits to farmers and ranchers.

KJZZ reported the Navajo Nation Council’s assurances that agricultural insurance benefits would remain protected during the transition. On December 16, 2024, Native News Online reported Branch’s application for a special prosecutor after a preliminary inquiry concerning CKP and certain tribal officials.

An application for a special prosecutor is not a conviction. The disposition of that application and any resulting proceedings require verification. CKP’s side also matters: its president publicly disputed the handling of the Navajo program, and its website describes previous benefits from PRF participation. This report does not resolve the parties’ 2024 disagreement.

CKP is part of Brown & Brown

A Brown & Brown announcement dated August 15, 2019 says Brown & Brown of Florida acquired substantially all CKP Insurance assets, with CKP operating within its retail segment. CKP’s own compensation disclosure describes possible commissions, fees, contingent insurer compensation and possible fees connected with arranging premium financing. That general disclosure does not tell us what compensation CKP would receive under any Northern Cheyenne arrangement.

What the Northern Cheyenne meeting does — and does not — establish

In a publicly available Northern Cheyenne council meeting recording, an insurance presenter discusses a 2027 PRF renewal scenario involving approximately $270,000 in annual premium and $3.6 million in stated coverage. The same presentation discusses historical payout results and alternative premium-payment methods. These are presenter-supplied figures; Truth in Focus has not obtained insurer-issued policy records or audited tribal accounting statements confirming them.

Near the end of the recording, participants discuss waiting for a financial trial balance. An apparent motion and roll-call vote follow. The available automated transcript does not identify with confidence exactly what that later motion approved. It would be inaccurate at this stage to state that the 2027 insurance policy was adopted or paid for. The agenda, complete signed resolutions and certified minutes are needed.

The automated transcript also contains discussion of a prior check and financial obligations, including a disputed amount. No current outstanding balance has been independently established from invoices, account statements or other original records.

A third-party payment proposal merits particular scrutiny

During the presentation, the speaker describes an option in which a third party would cover the insurance premium upfront, without an immediate down payment, and future-year insurance benefits could be used toward the obligation. The automated captions render the lender’s name as “City First Mortgage,” but the correct legal entity and the actual written terms remain unconfirmed.

This matters because the USDA Risk Management Agency’s March 11, 2026, guidance addresses certain PRF premium-funding arrangements tied to future indemnities. USDA warned that some arrangements may violate anti-rebating requirements. The agency did not identify CKP or the Northern Cheyenne Tribe as having violated those requirements. Whether the specific financing described at the meeting is permissible cannot be judged without the agreement and applicable RMA rules.

Additionally, USDA announced 2027 PRF eligibility changes on September 8, including documentation of a livestock insurable interest of at least 25 percent of an average stocking rate for covered grazing acreage. Any final policy must be considered against the rules applicable to its coverage.

Public records questions remain

The Northern Cheyenne Constitution, Article IV, Section 1(f), requires council-controlled tribal fund expenditures to be made by resolution at a legal session and the amounts expended to be a matter of public record. A missing online copy does not establish that a resolution does not exist, but it gives the public good reason to ask for the official record.

Truth in Focus is seeking clarification of:

  • Whether the 2027 PRF proposal was actually approved, deferred or amended, and what any final roll-call vote authorized.
  • Whether an executed CKP brokerage agreement, insurance policy or premium-financing contract exists, and which officials signed it.
  • Whether tribal funds were paid, premiums remain outstanding, or prior-year indemnities were received, according to authenticated records.
  • What due diligence was performed concerning CKP’s publicly reported 2024 Navajo Nation dispute.
  • What compensation CKP, any related Brown & Brown entity, or a financing intermediary would receive.
  • Who controls tribal program data, insurer communications and access to records if a brokerage arrangement ends.

Public records and documentary verification must come before conclusions about motives or wrongdoing. The Navajo Nation’s allegations do not prove similar conduct occurred with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and the recording does not prove an unlawful agreement or diversion of funds.

This is a developing investigation. Truth in Focus welcomes original documents, corrections and on-the-record responses from CKP Insurance, Brown & Brown, Northern Cheyenne officials and Navajo Nation authorities. Material new evidence and responses will be identified in subsequent updates.

Sources and documentation

© 2026 Truth in Focus / Steven Bullcoming Haworth. All rights reserved. Editorial disclosure: This account distinguishes allegations, meeting statements and independently authenticated acts. No CKP/Trustland business relationship has been established by the records reviewed.