DENVER—A Colorado man accused of selling American Indian artifacts stolen from public lands has been sentenced to 18 months of probation.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Colorado said 66-year-old Robert Knowlton of Grand Junction was also banned Friday from being on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land for the purpose of collecting.
A federal grand jury indicted Knowlton last year, saying he sold artifacts stolen from federal land. Knowlton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of selling and transporting archaeological resources for sale.
Knowlton’s indictment was among several resulting from a two-year sting operation in the Four Corners region The sweep rounded up 26 people in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Two of them committed suicide after their arraignments.
