Man sentenced for grave robbing sacred Mono tribe burial site in Sierra forest in Madera
A man has been sentenced for grave robbing from a sacred Native American burial ground in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, federal officials said Wednesday.
Vance Franklin Myers, 35, of Oakhurst was sentenced to three years of probation, a $10,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution for violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act while digging in a sacred burial ground near Bass Lake, forest officials said.
He was sentenced in September.
Myers was also required to do 100 hours of community service and to make a public statement about his crimes on federal property, officials said.
He was banned from entering or using public lands for recreational purposes during his probation.
The excavation revealed human remains and artifacts, as well as disturbed archaeological deposits, officials said.
His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The dig site was discovered by authorities in the Willow Creek area of Box Canyon during the Willow Fire in July 2015, officials said. Other disturbed sites were found in August of the next year.
Myers was later found in illegal possession of stone tools, arrowheads, and beads, among other things, according to a criminal complaint.
Archeologists said the site was inhabited, apparently by the Mono tribe, between 500 A.D. and 1900, according to a criminal complaint.
Archaeological sites generally cannot be restored and are permanently damaged if looted, officials said. Burial sites typically are sacred to Native Americans.
U.S. National Forest Service officials aim to sustain the landscapes of the Sierra, according to Forest Supervisor Dean Gould.
“We can only accomplish this by respecting the history of what has taken place on the Sierra National Forest so that it can be preserved for those future generations to appreciate, enjoy and learn from,” he said in a news release.
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 3:03 PM.
