A Tucson man was indicted this month by a federal grand jury of trafficking artifacts taken from the the Gila River Indian Community, federal prosecutors say.
Leo Reynoso, 46, faces a two-count indictment that says he excavated and removed numerous artifacts from known archeological sites located on tribal land, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona says in a news release.
The items included Indian Trader tokens, coins, buttons, crucifixes, jewelry, and other items. Reynoso also sold some of the items, the release said.
An archeological damage assessment estimated the commercial value of the artifacts to be about $5,700; the archeological value to be about $29,000; and the cost of restoration and repair of the sites to be about $23,000, the release said.
A conviction on each count carries a maximum penalty two years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine.
