Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Task force nets artifact looters

Five stole thousands of American Indian items from sites in Nevada, California

Benito Perez, special agent in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's office of law enforcement for the Pacific region, holds a pair of woven fiber sandals Tuesday at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse. They were found during a search of a Las Vegas home. Photo by Jeff Scheid. Pictured are some of the projectile points on display at the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse. The display contains stolen artifacts recovered during a two-year investigation. Photo by Jeff Scheid.

A two-year investigation has led to the prosecution of a group of people who looted at least 11,000 artifacts from historic and prehistoric sites in Nevada and California, federal officials announced Tuesday.

Daniel Bogden, the U.S. attorney for Nevada, said the group damaged 13 archaeological sites between December 1997 and December 2001.

Their actions "resulted in desecration of sacred sites, theft of our national heritage, destruction of our public lands, loss of irretrievable archaeological data, and drain on taxpayer dollars to assess and repair the damage," Bogden said at a news conference Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Two defendants in the case have been sentenced to prison, and three others are awaiting sentencing.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge James Mahan sentenced former Las Vegas resident Bobbie Wilkie to about three years in prison for unlawfully excavating archaeological resources from public lands in Southern Nevada.

Bogden said the sentence was the longest ever imposed on a first-time offender in a prosecution of this type.

Wilkie, 45, of Oklahoma; his former wife, Deanne Wilkie, 44, of Carson City; and Frank Embrey, 54, of Henderson were indicted in December 2002 and charged with participating in a conspiracy to steal American Indian and other historical artifacts from public lands.

As part of a plea agreement reached in September, Bobbie Wilkie admitted that he helped remove American Indian artifacts from the White Cliff petroglyph site and the Kane Springs Wash, which are about 100 miles north of Las Vegas.

Bobbie Wilkie admitted that he knew the artifacts "were at least 100 years old and of archeological interest."

The stolen artifacts included ancient corncobs, projectile points, woven fiber sandals, pottery fragments, basketry fragments and pendants.

"Desecration and looting the past of American Indians has a direct impact on our lives," said Gloria Hernandez, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe chairwoman, at Tuesday's news conference. "The Paiutes believe that vandalism, looting and selling of our ancestral artifacts creates a disharmony."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Stanish said some of the stolen items will be returned to American Indian tribes. Most will remain in the custody of the federal government or be put on display, she said.

One problem with cases involving stolen artifacts is that authorities often have difficulty determining where the items came from, Stanish said.

Agencies involved in the looting investigation have erected a display of stolen artifacts in the lobby of the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse, where members of the public may view the items until Jan. 5.

Among the artifacts on display are ceramic shards linked to the Virgin Anasazi, which lived in Southern Nevada until about 1200.

Stanish said defendants in the case removed artifacts from archaeological sites primarily to display them in their homes. Many of the artifacts were recovered from the defendants' homes and storage facilities.

According to the indictment, Bobbie Wilkie and Embrey sold some of the stolen artifacts to third parties.

Mahan ordered Bobbie Wilkie to pay about $102,000 in restitution. The sentencing hearing took place on the two-year anniversary of the start of the investigation.

The investigation began on Dec. 15, 2001, when a park ranger on routine patrol spotted Embrey and David Peeler collecting artifacts at Death Valley National Park.

Peeler, 53, of Las Vegas pleaded guilty in December 2002 to unlawful excavation of archaeological resources.

He admitted that he helped remove about 3,000 artifacts from public lands, including Death Valley and several sites in Nevada. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday.

Bogden said the investigation led to the creation of an inter-agency task force, which examined 50 archaeological sites and spent 10,000 hours on the case.

The task force consisted of archaeologists and law enforcement personnel from the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Embrey pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful excavation of archaeological resources. He was sentenced in August to 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay $86,000 in restitution.

Deanne Wilkie pleaded guilty to unlawful receipt of archaeological resources removed from public lands and will be sentenced Jan. 23.

According to the indictment, Bobbie Wilkie, Deanne Wilkie and Embrey obtained and built tools used to excavate archaeological resources.

They obtained and reviewed books, catalogs and other documents relating to the location of American Indian artifacts, the indictment said.

"Bobbie Wilkie, Deanne Wilkie, Frank Embrey and other co-schemers photographed and recorded in rough field notes their excavations and discovery of archeological resources," according to the indictment.

Also charged in the case is Kevin Peterson, 43, of Overton. Peterson pleaded guilty to conspiracy and will be sentenced Jan. 16.

Among the items Peterson has agreed to forfeit are a American Indian skull and mandible. The remains were found during a search of Peterson's storage area.