A New Mexico husband-and-wife team has admitted to a counterfeit jewelry scheme that reached all the way into Asheville, pleading guilty in federal court Monday to smuggling and selling fake Native American pieces, according to prosecutors. Authorities say the pair imported jewelry made in Vietnam, then passed it off as Navajo-made southwestern work, siphoning sales from legitimate tribal artists. Both defendants will remain out of custody while they wait to learn their sentence.
Federal plea in Asheville
Kiem Thanh Huynh, 60, and My Ngoc Truong, 61, pleaded guilty to misrepresentation of Indian goods in an amount greater than $1,000 under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, as well as to smuggling, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. In the release, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said that those who profit by passing off counterfeit items as authentic Native American goods are not just fooling buyers, they are exploiting culture and taking income from Native American artists and their communities. Prosecutors say the couple co-owned MT Jewelry MFG., Inc., which advertised itself as producing unique and handmade southwestern jewelry.
Shipments and sales at shows
Plea documents show that law enforcement intercepted six shipments from Vietnam headed to MT Jewelry between December 2023 and July 2024. The packages contained pendants, bracelets and rings that looked like Native-style pieces and carried stones and other hallmarks commonly used by artists, according to Fox Carolina. Prosecutors say the defendants did not mark the jewelry with its country of origin before selling it and that on two occasions they sold pieces at GLW Shows in Western North Carolina while telling buyers the work was made by Navajo artisans at their Albuquerque shop. Authorities say the operation brought in significant wholesale sales in several states.
How the law protects artists
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is a federal truth-in-marketing law that prohibits offering or selling goods in a way that falsely suggests they are Indian-made. The law is administered and enforced by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board at the Department of the Interior, which seeks to protect tribal artists cultural heritage and economic opportunities, according to the Department of the Interior. In recent years, enforcement efforts have produced civil and criminal cases as officials go after large-scale import schemes. Tribal leaders and artists say the spread of counterfeits drags down prices and undercuts the market for authentic work.
Penalties and next steps
Huynh and Truong face statutory maximum sentences of up to five years in prison for the Indian Arts and Crafts Act violation and up to 20 years for the smuggling charge. They have agreed to forfeit $341,967.98 as proceeds of the crimes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The case was brought by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott and investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Indian Arts and Crafts Act Investigative Unit, the release states. A federal judge will determine the sentence, and authorities say the plea and forfeiture represent a win for efforts to protect Native artists and the buyers who seek out their work.
