RANGER ACTIVITIES DIVISION
                           MORNING REPORT

Attention: Directorate
           Regional and Park Chief Rangers, USPP, BIFC, FLETC
           Ranger Activities Division Information Network

Day/Date:  Friday, December 3, 1993

Broadcast: By 0900 EDT

INCIDENTS

93-838 - Southwest Region - ARPA Conviction

On November 24th, P.R.L., who had previously pled guilty to a
misdemeanor under provisions of the Archeological Resource Protection Act
following a "reverse sting" undercover operation, was sentenced in federal
court to six months probation and 30 hours of community service, ordered to
forfeit $1,000 in restitution, and required to pay towing and storage fees
for his seized motorhome.  P.R.L., a commercial Indian artifacts trader, was
arrested on June 12th when he purchased three Salado redware bowls from an
undercover agent which P.R.L. believed had been stolen from Tonto National
Monument.  The transaction took place in Santa Fe, where P.R.L. was attending
the Antique Tribal Arts Dealers Association (ATADA) show.  Prior to the
show, special agent Phil Young of the Southwest Region's Resource Protection
Unit, working in an undercover capacity, had made it known that the bowls
were available, and P.R.L. had expressed an interest in purchasing them.  On
June 12th, Young showed the bowls to P.R.L. in P.R.L.'s motorhome in the parking
lot of the hotel where the show was taking place.  P.R.L. was told three times
that the artifacts were illegal, but he continued to profess a desire to buy
them, and even instructed Young on how to fill out papers to show the
artifacts' legitimacy and thereby protect himself.  Young, a FWS special
agent, and rangers from Alaska Regional Office, Pecos and Fredericksburg (in
town for an ARPA conference) assisted in the arrest.  Further operations
planned for the ATADA show were canceled due to the high level of emotion
present there after the operation.  Besides pleading guilty, P.R.L. also wrote
a strong letter of confession and apology after his arrest.  Although the
agents told P.R.L. that the bowls had been looted from Tonto, they were
actually on loan from the Forest Service, having been stolen from a national
forest several years ago and later recovered in a sting operation.  At the
time of the operation, no NPS area artifacts were available for the
operation.  [Phil Young, RRPU/SWRO, 11/29]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

No field reports today.

STAFF STATUS

Division Chief: No leave or travel scheduled.

Branch of Resource and Visitor Protection: Smith on travel (11/24-12/3).

Branch of Fire and Aviation: Broyles, Botti and Zimmerman at national park
and wilderness fire management course (11/29-12/3).


Prepared by WASO Division of Ranger Activities

Telephone: Branch of R&VP - 202-208-4874
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