ALBUQUERQUE – Michael Quarrel, 81, of Deming, N.M., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to violating the Archeological Resource Protection Act (ARPA). The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez and Special Agent in Charge Clark Beene of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Region 5 of Office of Law Enforcement and Security.
During today’s change of plea hearing, Quarrel pled guilty to a felony information charging him with violating ARPA on Sept. 30, 2013, by excavating, removing and damaging an archaeologic resource located on federal lands in Luna County, N.M. In entering the guilty plea, Quarrel admitted that on Sept. 30, 2013, he violated ARPA by digging on federal land managed by BLM and removing several pieces of broken Mimbres pottery, thus causing damage to the archaeological resource.
ARPA protects archaeological resources on public and Indian lands. It provides felony-level penalties for unauthorized excavation, removal, damage, alteration, or defacement of any archaeological resource, which is defined as material remains of past human life or activities that at least 100 years old. The archaeological resource at which Quarrel committed his crime, which is known as the Indian Wells site and is located on federal land near the Cedar Mountains in Luna County, contains remains of a Mimbres Mogollon prehistoric habitation site.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Quarrel will be sentenced to two years of probation and will be required to pay $4,250.00 in restitution to cover the cost of damages he caused to the archaeological resource. Quarrel also will be banned from BLM lands for a period of two-years. A sentencing hearing for Quarrel has yet to be scheduled.
“Those who remove or damage artifacts on public or tribal lands take something from all of us. These treasures are the heritage of all Americans, and in many cases, the objects are sacred to Native Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez. “The idea that you can take whatever you want from public lands is wrong.”
“The successful prosecution of this case is attributed to the cooperation between BLM and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office along with the United States Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico. All violations of the Archeological Resources Protection Act on public lands administered by BLM will be investigated aggressively,” said BLM Special Agent in Charge Clark Beene.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces Field Office of the BLM and the Luna County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna R. Wright of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.