Archive for the ‘Native American Artifacts’ tag
Arrests Made in Operation Targeting Network Selling Stolen Native American Artifacts no comments
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 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. Read the rest of this entry »