News Release
NPS photo.
News Release Date: November 23, 2016
Contact: NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB), (202) 379-4761
Man sentenced for felony theft from Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Following an investigation launched by an ISB Special Agent into thefts of Native American jewelry and Navajo ceremonial baskets from Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, a man has been sentenced for a class D felony.
Stanley Ben, age 63, pleaded guilty to the charge in August of 2016. Court documents describe how the investigation started after a Naja bolo tie valued at $1,200 was discovered missing from the park. Investigators linked Ben to the theft of merchandise valued between $12,900 to $22,140 from October of 2014 to August of 2015, and its transport to pawn shops, trading companies, and other trading posts in New Mexico for pawn or sale.
On October 31, 2016, a federal judge sentenced Ben to five years of probation and banned him from the park for the duration. Ben must pay more than $3,300 in restitution and attend court-ordered substance abuse counseling. He is also prohibited from frequenting the pawn shops and trading companies in Arizona and New Mexico where he'd pawned many of the stolen items.
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. Established in 1878, it offers groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee, and Native American art.
ISB: the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service
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Last updated: November 23, 2016