We’ve had more than 100 authentic Native artists. “Our whole mission is to represent authentic Native art. “I’ve been doing this on good faith for many years - for more than 30 years,” Steinbrueck told The Associated Press on Friday. He said he did not knowingly sell counterfeit Indian products. Matthew Steinbrueck, the owner of Raven’s Nest Treasure, told investigators that the artists told him they were tribal members and that he believed them, according to the documents. Rath also faces one misdemeanor count of unlawfully possessing golden eagle parts, and one of unlawfully possessing migratory bird parts.Īccording to charging documents, an employee of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, which has been in business for more than a century, told investigators that she wrote an artist biography of Rath based on information he provided about his tribal affiliation. Van Dyke faces two counts of the same crime. Rath is charged with four counts of misrepresentation of Indian-produced goods, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, said in a news release.īlackouts worsen in Ukraine fighting rages on many frontsĪuthorities said the investigation began when the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, an Interior Department agency that promotes Native art, received complaints that the two were fraudulently holding themselves out as enrolled tribal members. “By flooding the market with counterfeit Native American art and craftwork, these crimes cheat the consumer, undermine the economic livelihood of Native American artists, and impair Indian culture,” Edward Grace, assistant director of the U.S.

The goods included masks, totem poles and pendants sold in 2019 at Raven’s Nest Treasure in Pike Place Market and at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the waterfront. Attorney’s Office said Rath falsely claimed to be a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and Van Dyke falsely claimed membership in the Nez Perce Tribe. Lewis Anthony Rath, 52, of Maple Falls, and Jerry Chris Van Dyke, 67, also known as Jerry Witten, of Seattle, have been charged separately with violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts. It was very hard for everyone.SEATTLE (AP) - Two artists are facing federal charges that they faked Native American heritage to sell works at downtown Seattle galleries. My husband was also without work and all my children. 'I always worked as a domestic worker and it was all very sudden. 'The first year of the pandemic was very difficult, I was left without work,' said María Núñez, a 42-year-old unemployed woman from Manzanares with 10 children. Argentina's economy is forecast to grow 6.7% this year, with inflation at 46%, a recent central bank poll showed. In 2021 there could be further measures, Arroyo said, without giving details.Īrgentina has relatively high levels of welfare assistance for Latin America, but a large part of the social subsidies have been financed with money printing that has fueled inflation, in turn stoking poverty. The Ministry of Social Development had a budget of $2.6 billion in 2020 to alleviate the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. The center-left Peronist government of President Alberto Fernández is keen to make inroads in reducing poverty to bolster its position ahead of October mid-term elections, with many of the party's core voters living in the less affluent areas around Buenos Aires. What we see is people doing informal jobs, working but then also going to soup kitchens to make ends meet,' Minister of Social Development Daniel Arroyo told Reuters. 'The price of food is Argentina's most critical problem.

We've lost everything, even dignity,' added Unayche, who said she completed high school but who now lives on donations and what she can scavenge.Īrgentina's economy has been ravaged by years of fierce economic crisis and high inflation that has sapped people's savings and spending power and pushed up prices.īefore the pandemic, 8 million Argentines received food assistance, a figure that has now grown to 10 million, in a population of around 45 million people. We do not know what will happen tomorrow, if we will make it or won't get to eat,' said Aida Mariela Unayche, a 43-year-old who is unemployed and has two teenage children. By the end of last year, the poverty level was at 42%, up from 35.5% a year earlier, rising amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and three years of recession. It is a stark reflection of a wider issue gripping Argentina, which a century ago was once of the richest countries in the world.

Children play barefoot with old toys next to rudimentary homes. Some have no electricity, gas or running water. MANZANARES, Argentina, April 13 (Reuters) - In a run-down part of Manzanares, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, the scars of poverty are clear.

Geist blast on the bridge 2021