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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Monday, September 24, 2012 INCIDENTS Pacific West Region Prosecutions Continue In Operation Artifact Prosecutions continue in Operation Artifact, the multi-year interagency investigation into the sale of cultural items looted from federal lands. On September 19th, R.M. of the National Indian Center in Corona, California, was sentenced for a misdemeanor ARPA violation in federal court in Los Angeles. He was ordered to pay $758.41 in restitution and $10,000 in community service and fines. Looted Native American artifacts were consigned or sold to R.M. and the National Indian Center in 2007, 2008 and 2009 by a cooperating individual. R.M. and the auction company knew the artifacts were illegally taken from public lands. Despite this knowledge, R.M. sold these antiquities at several public auctions. The illicit artifacts were purchased back by NPS rangers and agents posing as buyers. In August. 2010, search warrants were served at R.M.'s residence and storage facility by agents and rangers with the NPS and BLM. R.M. and other company employees were also interviewed at this time. Participating along with the NPS in this investigative effort were the Bureau of Land Management, US Fish & Wildlife Service and the US Forest Service. Additional cases against other entities are pending. [Todd Swain] Grand Canyon NP Rangers Arrest Guide For Operating In Park Without A Permit On Friday, August 31st, after approximately four weeks of investigation, rangers arrested 42-year old B.T. of Cottonwood, Arizona, for conducting commercial operations in a national park without a permit. He was arrested after he received payment to guide a multi-day backpacking trip into the canyon. B.T.'s arrest came about due to the routine monitoring of backcountry use and permitting in the park. On September 12th, B.T. appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to violating Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 5.3, engaging in business without a permit. As a result, he was ordered to pay a $200 fine and was sentenced to a year's probation, during which time he is banned from the park, cannot provide tours or guiding services (paid or unpaid) in any national park or national forest, and cannot advertise that he conducts tours or guiding services in national forests or national parks. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Specialist] OTHER NEWS The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/): Office of Communications - Antietam National Battlefield marked the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's preliminary Emancipation Proclamation with a variety of commemorative programs and activities this past weekend. Lassen Volcanic NP - John Easton, a seasonal firefighter on the Lassen Volcanic hand crew, died in a car accident during the early morning hours of September 20th. Office of International Affairs - Several National Park Service staff, led by Director Jon Jarvis, participated in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's World Conservation Congress, held in the Republic of Korea from September 5th through September 12th. Office of Communications - The National Park Service has awarded the 2011 Appleman-Judd-Lewis Award to four individuals and parks for excellence in cultural resource stewardship. Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings, newly introduced bills, and the status of legislation of interest to the National Park Service. This report covers activities during the week ending September 21st. * * * * The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov). --- ### --- |