One of the defendants in the growing Indian artifact theft case appeared in federal court in Colorado, The Denver Post reported.

Robert B. Knowlton is accused of selling and transporting three Indian artifacts taken from public land. He allegedly sold a cloud blower pipe for $750, and an arrowhead and a hell gap knife for $3,000 each and agreed to transport them to Utah.

More than two dozen people, mostly in Utah, have been indicted for stealing and selling artifacts from public and Indian land. They are accused of violating the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.

Knowlton's case, like the others, involved an undercover operative who was working for the Bureau of Land Management. Knowlton allegedly told the operative where and how he obtained the artifacts.

Get the Story:
Colorado man appears in court on artifact charges (The Salt Lake Tribune 9/15)
Truckloads of looted Native-American artifacts await disposition (AP 9/15)

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