Feds wonder -- now that they've got the loot, where does it go?

Republishing Guidelines

Yes, unless otherwise noted, you’re welcome to republish InvestigateWest’s original articles and photographs for free, as long as you follow a few simple conditions:

  • You must credit both the author and InvestigateWest in the byline. We prefer: “Author Name, InvestigateWest.”
  • You have to include the tagline provided at the end of the article, which typically reads, “InvestigateWest (investigatewest.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Visit investigatewest.org/newsletters to sign up for weekly updates.”
  • You can write your own headlines as long as they accurately reflect the story.
  • You may not edit our work except to reflect your own editorial style or to update time references (changing “yesterday” to “last week,” for instance).
  • You may use InvestigateWest artwork (photos, illustrations, etc.) ONLY if you publish them alongside the stories with which they originally appeared and do not alter them. You may not separate multimedia elements for standalone use.
  • If you share our stories on social media, we’d appreciate it if you tag us in your posts.

Keep in mind: InvestigateWest sometimes republishes articles from other news outlets and we have no authority to grant republication permission. These stories are identifiable by their bylines and other credits.

We send story alerts to editors at news outlets across the Northwest. Let us know if you want to be included on that list. Questions? Contact us at editors@investigatewest.org.

Copy this

Federal officials will soon have another custody issue to deal with in their ongoing record-breaking bust of Southwestern artifact thieves - what to do with the artifacts themselves. So far, official have hauled away more than seven truck loads of relics from raids associated with the 26 people indicted so far in the case, reports Mike Stark of the Associated Press. Getting the articles back may seem like restitution.

But what's been lost forever, at least in some cases, is the scientific value associated with those objects - many of which were dug up with no regard for how their removal damaged what archeologists might have learned from them at the site.

At least some of those artifacts will eventually be housed in museums qualified to care for them. Some will be returned if their owners are found not guilty of participating in their thefts.

Others will be returned to their original tribes, and tribal leaders have said they hoped ceremonial and sacred objects could be used again for their intended purposes.

Given the way the artifacts were unceremoniously removed from their original locations, that seems an honorable solution.

Get the inside scoop in your inbox, free.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters and never miss an investigation.

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to InvestigateWest.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.