Republicans from Utah are upset with the way the Interior Department carried out an investigation of a major Indian artifact theft case.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) want Congress to investigate the case. Bennett called the raid and subsequent arrest of 24 people was "outrageous" and Hatch said the federal government went too far.

"I'm very concerned about it," Hatch told The Deseret News. "It seems like overkill to me to do that with these people, one a doctor, a pillar of his community.

Bennett complained that some people were arrested for stealing "just one" artifact.

Get the Story:
Should raid be probed? (The Salt Lake Deseret News 6/14)

Relevant Documents:
DOI Press Release: Federal Agents Bust Ring of Antiquity Thieves Looting American Indian Sites for Priceless Treasures | DOJ Press Release: Arrests Made in Operation Targeting Network Selling Stolen Native American Artifacts | Remarks of Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden at a Press Conference

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Two dozen indicted for theft of Indian artifacts (6/11)
Salazar, EchoHawk in Utah for press conference (6/10)