Ketchikan business owner sentenced to 2 years for selling fake Native art

A Washington state resident was sentenced last week to two years in federal prison for selling fake Alaska Native artwork in Ketchikan.

Cristobal “Cris” Magno Rodrigo, 59, pleaded guilty in April to one federal count of conspiracy and another count of misrepresentation of Indian-produced goods and products.

Alaska U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess sentenced Rodrigo on Aug. 28 to serve two years in federal prison, the longest a defendant has received for any Indian Arts and Crafts Act violation in the U.S., according to the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

Rodrigo is also ordered to pay ne...