Defendants in stolen artefacts case voluntarily surrender items

Federal agents returned to southeastern Utah on Wednesday morning reports KSL Television to collect items in connection with the infamous Four Corners stolen artefacts case. The seizure of artefacts (as well as some dinosaur bones and rock specimens) was made with the agreement with Dale and Raymond Lyman the owners of a Blanding rock shop . Investigators say they want to stress that collecting and selling ancient Native American artifacts is illegal, even if it's been a family tradition for decades.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Agents say they are visiting a couple of more stores and storage sheds in Blanding, gathering more e. Three of the four defendants who turned over the materials Wednesday (Dale Lyman, Nick Laws and Aubry Patterson) are now going to plead guilty at the end of this month.

The U.S. Attorney started out with 26 cases. That list has now shrunk to 17. The three who are pleading guilty will do so on April 23.
Four others have also pleaded out, the two Redd ladies who received probation and last month two other defendants (Brent Bullock and Tammy Shumway) pleaded guilty to two felony counts each and are scheduled to be sentenced in July. Two defendants are dead -- along with Ted Gardiner, the prosecution's key witness.