Ted Gardiner, Key Figure in federal Indian artefacts case is dead

Antiquities dealer, 52-year old Ted Gardiner is reported to have shot himself in a Utah home. Gardiner was the "Source" who had spent two and a half years working as an undercover informant for federal authorities investigating illegal trafficking of Native American artefacts in the Southwest. As a result, prosecutors indicted 24 people last year on charges of illegally excavating and selling the items. This is now the third suicide among people connected to the Four Corners Looting case; shortly after the arrests in June, suspect Dr. James Redd killed himself. Weeks later, another defendant, antiquities dealer Steven Shrader, also committed suicide. Gardiner received threats as a result of his involvement in the case and was also deeply bothered by the suicides that had resulted.

"Police said they were called Saturday night to the house where Gardiner was staying because he was threatening suicide. He was taken to a hospital, spent the night and was released. But Monday at 6 p.m., he grabbed a gun and retreated to his room in the house, alarming his housemates, who again called authorities. Gardiner fired on the first officer who arrived, then shot himself, said police Lt. Don Hutson".

Gardiner was a 52-year-old former grocery chain CEO and acknowledged artifacts expert and dealer. His son Dustin Gardiner said Wednesday that his father "had a history of mental problems and substance abuse, and this case seemed to aggravate those problems". Court documents and interviews with Gardiner indicated that he had also recently been troubled by a divorce battle and problems with money and alcohol. He had also been in dispute with his FBI handlers over his compensation and his demand for security from threats he perceived because of his involvement in the looting case spanning Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. He was also believed to have been bothered by the suicide of two defendants as a result of the sting in which he played a pivotal role.

Gardiner had provided evidence that prosecutors said was essential to bringing charges and government prosecutors are reassessing how to proceed without the live testimony of Gardiner. They will now have to rely on the audio and video evidence he helped gather before his death.

He was expected to testify at the first trial of one of the defendants [Robert Knowlton PMB] on March 29 — a date that has now been thrown into doubt, according to U.S. Attorney for Colorado David Gaouette."We're assessing the status of the evidence as it now exists," Gaouette said Wednesday. "There are ways to get videotaped evidence into trial without having the individual present."One defense attorney said Gardiner's death has thrown the case into disarray."It's wild, sad. That's three deaths in this case," said Mark Moffat, who represents two of the Utah defendants. "I've been doing this for 23 years, and I never had an informant pass away between indictment and trial. It's caught us off guard. We're trying to figure out what it means.
"Gardiner's 89-year-old father, who sparked his son's interest in artifacts from an early age, was distraught."I'm afraid I got him started on it. I took him on a walk when he found his first arrowhead," Dan Gardiner said. "I should have thrown it in the bush."

Although nobody has said it, I wonder to what degree the recent decision by Judge Waddoups to let two people charged off virtually unpunished after all the work put into this case may have been contributory to Mr Gardiner's despondency. In his place I certainly would be wondering if all the effort and aggro were going to produce results that would act as a real deterrent.

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Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Sources:
Patty Henetz, Christopher Smart & Erin Alberty
Another artifacts case suicide? Source in artifacts case dead, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3rd March 2010.

Paul Foy, 'Informant's death throws artifacts case into doubt' (Associated Press)

John Hollenhorst Friend: Artifacts informant ‘brilliant,' ‘plagued by demons' KSL Broadcasting Salt Lake City.
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