A trading post in New Mexico agreed to pay over $12,000 in federal and state penalties for selling fake Indian art.

Golden Bear Trading of Santa Fe denied any wrongdoing. But the business agreed to pay money to cover the cost of fraudulent pieces of jewelry that were sold under the name of Navajo artist Calvin Begay.

"This is a significant conclusion to an important case for the people of New Mexico," attorney general Gary King said in a press release. "Our Native American artists and consumers have been under assault for the last thirty years by a massive influx of imports and fakes."

The state and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board conducted an undercover operation at the trading post, which has since gone out of business.

Get the Story:
N.M. AG reaches agreement with former Indian jewelry retailer (Legal News Line 8/5)
AG makes deal over Indian arts and crafts (AP 8/5)