The September 24 Deseret News raised the question: “Overkill or justice? Costly 5-year-old artifacts case nets no prison time and 3 suicides, but retrieves Native American treasures and raises awareness”. The case referred to is Operation CERBERUS Action, aimed at the illegal trafficking of Native American artifacts in the Four Corners area, previously discussed here.
SAFE has expressed disappointment over the lenient sentencing following the arrests made under Operation CERBERUS Action. According to a June 10, 2009 Department of Justice press release the operation was the nation’s largest investigation of archaeological and cultural artifact thefts, involving dozens of defendants. In the Redds case alone, eight hundred and twelve Native American artifacts were forfeited, reportedly requiring two trucks to remove them from the Redds’s residence.
Neither overkill nor justice, we believe the outcome shows disrespect for the federal agents and informants who put themselves at risk to make the case, and to the public, which paid for the prosecution. Most disturbingly, the leniency sends the message that the law — in this case, Archaeological Resources Protection Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act — are unimportant or do not apply to the Four Corners region, and will encourage rather than deter looters.
We suspect that the descendants of those whose burial grounds were desecrated and whose remains were destroyed by looters would agree.
According to the Deseret News article, Bureau of Land Management assistant special agent in charge Dan Love said “the case remains active” and indictments in other states are pending. We continue to hope that future sentencing in such cases will more closely adhere to the recommendations of Federal Guidelines.
Photo: Native American antiquities were seized in Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. (BLM)
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