Arrests Made in Operation Targeting Network Selling Stolen Native American Artifacts

Arrests Made in Operation Targeting Network Selling Stolen Native American
Artifacts

Two-Year Undercover Operation in Four Corners Region Leads to Nation's Largest
Investigation of Artifacts Taken From Public, Native American Lands

SALT LAKE CITY, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- FBI and BLM agents, joined
by the U.S. Marshals and local and state law enforcement partners, were
simultaneously arresting defendants and executing search warrants in Utah on
Wednesday morning following a more than two-year undercover operation
targeting a network of individuals allegedly involved in the sale, purchase,
and exchange of artifacts illegally taken from public or Indian lands in the
Four Corners region of the country. The investigation represents the nation's
largest investigation of archaeological and cultural artifact thefts.

Twelve indictments charging 24 defendants with violations of the
Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) were unsealed this morning in Salt
Lake City. Arrest warrants were issued for 23 of the 24 individuals charged as
a part of the investigation. Twelve search warrants also are being executed.
The case involves 256 artifacts totaling $335,685.

The indictments were announced this morning in Salt Lake City by the Deputy
Attorney General David W. Ogden of the U.S. Department of Justice; Ken
Salazar, Secretary of the Interior; Brett L. Tolman, U.S. Attorney in Utah;
Timothy J. Fuhrman, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City Field
Office; and Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian
Affairs.

In addition to ARPA and NAGPRA violations, the indictments allege theft of
government property, depredation of government property, and theft of Indian
tribal property. The indictments unsealed today were returned by a grand jury
in Utah and charge defendants in Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. Defendants
charged in federal indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven
guilty in court.

"These archaeological treasures are precious and protecting them preserves a
rich history and heritage. That is why the Justice Department will use all of
its tools to vigorously enforce the laws designed to safeguard the cultural
heritage of Native Americans," said Deputy Attorney General Ogden.
"Recommitting resources and focus to criminal justice in Indian Country is of
paramount importance to the Justice Department. We are currently conducting a
training initiative with the Interior Department for federal prosecutors and
law enforcement personnel on looting, vandalism, and illegal trafficking of
cultural heritage, and are planning to reach out to with Indian Country
leaders in the near future to engage in an ongoing consultation on these
issues."

"Let this case serve notice to anyone who is considering breaking these laws
and trampling our nation's cultural heritage that the BLM, the Department of
Justice, and the federal government will track you down and bring you to
justice," said Secretary Salazar. "As these alleged criminals are prosecuted
and as federal agents continue to hunt down wrong doers, BLM cultural
resources staff will work to ensure the proper recovery, identification,
repatriation, and storage of the artifacts that have been confiscated.

"The indictments unsealed today charge a group of defendants, largely
excavators, dealers, and collectors, with serious violations of federal law,"
U.S. Attorney Tolman said today. "Those who remove or damage artifacts on
public or tribal lands take something from all of us. These treasures are the
heritage of all Americans, and in many cases, the objects are sacred to Native
Americans. The notion that you can take whatever you want from public lands is
wrong. Individuals engaged in this kind of conduct will be investigated and
prosecuted."

"The FBI has taken this matter seriously and spent a significant amount of
personnel and financial resources in exposing this network of individuals
illegally trafficking in these items," said FBI Special Agent in Charge
Fuhrman. "The FBI remains committed to devoting all necessary resources to
address this problem."

"The problem American Indian and Alaska Native tribes face of looters robbing
them of their cultural patrimony is a major law enforcement issue for federal
agencies responsible for enforcing historic preservation laws in Indian
Country," said Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Larry
Echo Hawk. "Today's action should give tribes reassurance that the Obama
Administration is serious in preserving and protecting their cultural
property."

The Four Corners region, rich in archaeological resources, contains artifacts
that are vitally important to the scientific, academic, and Native American
communities. The illegally obtained relics include decorated Anasazi pottery,
an assortment of burial and ceremonial masks, a buffalo headdress, and ancient
sandals known to be associated with Native American burials. Additionally,
improperly excavated archeological sites mean a significant amount of
historical information is lost because the artifacts are not identified in the
context of where they were located.

Defendants will have initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Samuel
Alba at the Grand County Courthouse in Moab Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney's
Office is seeking to detain one of the defendants. Others will be ordered to
maintain and store in current condition all artifacts in their possession and
engage in reasonable efforts to protect them from damage, destruction, loss or
theft. One defendant is not being arrested and will be issued a summons to
appear in federal court.

ARPA prohibits the unauthorized excavation and removal of archaeological
resources on federal lands as well as the unlawful sale, purchase, or exchange
of such resources. Under NAGPRA, any Native American human remains, funerary
objects, objects of cultural patrimony and sacred objects must be repatriated
to Indian tribes. The BLM will consult with tribes to determine cultural
affiliation and to facilitate repatriation. For artifacts not subject to
NAGPRA, the BLM will work with museums to stabilize, identify, and preserve
them under the provisions of ARPA, and make them available for scientific
research and public education.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-514-2007, TDD:
+1-202-514-1888; or Melodie Rydalch of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the
District of Utah, +1-801-325-3206