Attorneys for defendants in a major Indian artifact case are challenging the work of a federal government informant who died last week.

Ted Dan Gardiner, 52, went undercover to buy and sell artifacts that were illegally taken from federal and Indian lands. He committed suicide in Utah, where most of the defendants are being tried.

At a hearing in Salt Lake City on Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Utah said it will proceed with the case. But defense attorneys said Gardiner's death raises constitutional issues and evidentiary issues.

David Gaouette, the U.S. Attorney for Colorado, asked to postpone the trial of one defendant in light of Gardiner's death.

Get the Story:
Suicide Raises Legal Issues in Indian Artifacts Cases (The New York Times 3/9)
Artifact cases proceed despite source's death (The Salt Lake Tribune 3/9)

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