Some critics believe Regan Prtizker acquiesced to an identity fraud being orchestrated by Corina Gould, an Oakland activist, to benefit from the tax code — while the impacts on Oakland’s legitimate aboriginal titleholders be damned.
By Staff Reporter
San Francisco—November 4, 2025 — A $20 million donation from billionaire heiress Regan Pritzker to a Bay Area Indigenous land trust, once celebrated as a landmark in reparative philanthropy, is now at the center of a bitter dispute that questions the recipient’s tribal authenticity and the donor’s vetting process.
The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, recognized as the successor to the Verona Band of Alameda County by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and are the legitimate aboriginal titleholders to much of the San Francisco Bay Area, has accused the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and its leader, Corina Gould, of perpetrating identity fraud by fabricating a rival “nation” to lure funds from well-meaning philanthropists.
The tribe’s claims, detailed in a recent public statement, portray Ms. Gould’s “Confederated Villages of Lisjan“—established in 2018—as a political construct lacking historical or ethnographic basis, one that has siphoned millions in donor contributions, including Ms. Pritzker’s gift, away from the legitimate aboriginal titleholders to the land that is being ostensibly ‘rematriated’.
Ms. Pritzker, a principal in the Chicago-based Pritzker family fortune and co-founder of the Kataly Foundation, channeled the funds through her spend-out philanthropy vehicle in 2024 to support the acquisition of a 2.2-acre site in West Berkeley known as the Shellmound, an ancient Ohlone burial ground. The purchase, from developer Ruegg & Geyser, was intended to facilitate cultural restoration efforts, including gardens and youth programs.
At the time, the donation was hailed as the largest cash gift to a Native-led organization, amplifying the trust’s Shuumi Land Tax initiative—a voluntary payment system that has collected millions from non-Indigenous donors as a form of territorial acknowledgment.
Kataly, launched in 2019 with Mr. Pritzker’s husband, Chris Olin, has committed hundreds of millions to equity-focused causes, drawing on the family’s estimated tens-of-billions-dollar empire built on Hyatt Hotels and private equity.
Yet the foundation’s silence amid the Muwekma’s allegations has fueled criticism that its rapid-grantmaking model prioritizes scale over scrutiny, potentially exposing donors to reputational and financial risks.
A crazy cousin: Corina Gould’s fake ‘Lisjan’ pop-up tribe
The Muwekma Ohlone, whose sovereignty was acknowledged in 1906 and reaffirmed in Weiss v Perez (2022), traces its continuity to pre-colonial village networks across the East Bay. Ms. Gould, a descendant who briefly enrolled with the tribe in the 1990s before withdrawing, founded the Lisjan entity amid federal recognition efforts for Muwekma.
Tribal leaders contend Gould’s move was a deliberate attempt to hijack Ohlone advocacy, erasing Muwekma’s territorial claims on maps produced by her organization, and then claim sacred Ohlone sites like the Shellmound on fraudulent pretexts.
Historical records bolster the Muwekma’s position: A 2009 National Park Service report, authored by anthropologists including Randall Milliken, makes no mention of Lisjan, instead recognizing Muwekma as the primary Ohlone authority.
The tribe describes Sogorea Te’ not as a sovereign body but as a nonprofit amalgam of activists, many non-Ohlone, that has used decolonial language to marginalize enrolled members who challenge its claims—accusing them, in one instance, of abetting “colonial violence.”
The fallout from Ms. Gould’s approach extends beyond internal rifts.
By commandeering reparative funds, the trust has starved Muwekma’s priorities, from federal petitioning to community programs, at a time when Native-led organizations receive just 0.4% of U.S. foundation grants. This diversion, the tribe argues, perpetuates colonial fragmentation tactics, sowing distrust within Ohlone kinship networks and deterring broader donor support for verified Indigenous initiatives.
“This isn’t rematriation—it’s theft,” Muwekma stated, calling for audits and clawbacks to redirect resources.
Ms. Gould, who has not publicly responded to the latest accusations, previously defended her work on podcasts like Scene on Radio, partnering with Ms. Pritzker to frame it as a model for settler accountability. Critics, however, see a pattern of opportunism that undermines the credibility of urban Indigenous movements, making it harder for groups like Muwekma to secure backing without navigating webs of imposture.
Philanthropy’s Blind Spot: Due-Diligence Gaps
For Ms. Pritzker and her network—which includes roles at the Libra Foundation and ties to Pritzker Private Capital—the donation offered more than symbolic value. Under U.S. tax rules, gifts to 501(c)(3) entities like Sogorea Te’ qualify for deductions up to 60% of adjusted gross income, with five-year carryovers, providing a shield against taxes on investment income from family holdings in real estate and hospitality.
Wealth managers note that high-net-worth donors often route such contributions through donor-advised funds, donating appreciated assets to sidestep capital-gains levies of up to 23.8%. Kataly’s structure, exempt from traditional foundation payout requirements, allows for layered giving that defers liabilities while aligning with environmental, social and governance criteria prized by institutional investors.
The Shellmound’s cultural significance could even qualify for enhanced deductions under Internal Revenue Code Section 170(h), tied to historic preservation easements—potentially worth 50% of income if development restrictions are perpetual.
Even if fraud is substantiated, initial tax benefits may persist under “good faith” provisions, though amended returns could follow clawbacks. The episode highlights a vulnerability in billionaire philanthropy: Foundations like Kataly, with assets funneled from opaque family offices, often forgo rigorous tribal verification, relying on self-reported credentials. This laxity not only risks enabling fraud but also exposes donors to IRS scrutiny amid heightened audits of syndicated conservation deals.
Ms. Pritzker’s approach, while likely rooted in progressive intent, underscores a broader critique: Elite giving can inadvertently reinforce inequities by bypassing sovereign entities, turning restitution into a vehicle for personal fiscal engineering. As one philanthropy expert put it, “When billionaires play gatekeeper without expertise, they amplify the very harms they seek to mend.”
The broader implications for reparative giving
The Muwekma dispute arrives as reparative efforts gain traction in California, where state-backed land returns and voluntary taxes are testing models for wealth redistribution. Yet incidents like this could chill participation, prompting calls for standardized vetting—perhaps through third-party ethnographers—to ensure land rematriations reach verified aboriginal titleholders.
For the Pritzkers, whose political influence spans Illinois governorships and Democratic fundraising, the saga risks tainting a carefully curated image of enlightened capitalism. Kataly has yet to comment, but sources close to the foundation indicate internal reviews are underway.
Muwekma, meanwhile, presses ahead with its recognition bid, viewing the controversy as a painful but necessary reckoning.
In the end, the Shellmound site’s future is uncertain. Sources close to the Tribe suggest that Pritzker should demand that the Sogora Te Land Trust dismiss and reappoint its Board with appointees named by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Council.
For donors, the lesson is clear: True equity demands diligence, not just dollars.
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