Cristobal Rodrigo, Selling Counterfeit Alaska Native Artwork, Alaska 2023

A Washington state man was sentenced to two years in federal prison for selling Philippine produced products as authentic Alaska Native produced artwork, violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

According to court documents, Cristobal 'Cris' Magno Rodrigo, 59, was sentenced on Monday for his role in the scheme. He is also required to make a $60,000 donation to the Tlingit and Haida Central Counsel Vocational Program, write a letter of apology to be published in the Ketchikan Daily Newspaper and serve three years' supervised release.

Prosecutors say Rodrigo and his family owned and operated Alaska Stone Arts LLC. and Rail Creek LLC. in Ketchikan, Alaska, from April 2016 to December 2021. The companies primarily sold stone carvings and wooden totem poles, respectively. However, these items were sourced from Rodrigo Creative Crafts, a company owned by his wife and located in the Philippines.

The Philippine business was created for the sole purpose of producing carvings featuring Alaska Native designs and motifs using Philippine labor. The carvings were shipped to the U.S. and then to the family's stores in Ketchikan where they were later sold as authentic Alaska Native art.

Rodrigo also hired Alaska Natives at both Ketchikan stores to represent and sell Philippine produced artwork as their own authentic Alaska Native artwork. The workers told customers they were all related family working in the store and the art was all produced from locally sourced materials and made by Alaska Natives.

Co-conspirators in this case include Glenda Tiglao Rodrigo, 46, and Christian Ryan Tiglao Rodrigo, 24. Their cases are ongoing.

'The actions the defendant took to purposefully deceive customers and forge artwork is a cultural affront to Alaska Native artisans who pride themselves on producing these historical works of art, and negatively affects those who make a living practicing the craft,' said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ak/pr/washington-man-receives-monumental-sentence-indian-arts-and-crafts-act-case