New Federal Indictments Against Dealers Russ Pritchard Jr.
and III
The following press release from the U.S. Attorney's office
was released on May 17. The full indictment can be seen at www.usao-edpa.com/Pr/may/pritchard.pdf
United States Attorney Michael L. Levy and Robert Conforti,
Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced the filing
of an twenty-two-count superseding indictment charging Russ
Pritchard, III and his father Russ Pritchard, Jr., for their
involvement in fraudulent schemes involving the acquisition
of Civil War related artifacts in Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County,
PA.
The initial indictment
In an indictment filed on March 15, 2001, the grand jury charged
that Russ Pritchard, III and George Juno were engaged in the
business of appraising, purchasing, and selling military-related
artifacts through their business American Ordnance Preservation
Association (AOPA), of 311 Millbank Road, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
As appraisers appearing on the PBS television series "Antiques
Roadshow," the grand jury alleged that the defendants engaged
in staged or phony appraisals to enhance their reputation as
experts in the appraisal of military artifacts and to attract
from the viewing potential sellers of military artifacts to
AOPA.
The grand jury charged that through phony television appraisals,
the defendants attracted potential customers and fraudulently
obtained a Civil War sword from descendants of a Union officer,
Major Samuel J. Wilson. It was further alleged that the defendants
engaged in a deceptive appraisal of the sword and falsely represented
that the sword was being acquired by, and would be permanently
displayed at, the Harrisburg National Civil War Museum.
In fact, the indictment charged, the sword was obtained for
the personal profit of the defendants who then provided phony
paperwork to the descendants of the Union officer to disguise
their acts.
The grand jury further alleged that defendant Russ Pritchard,
III engaged in a fraudulent scheme to acquire artifacts that
had belonged to General George Pickett of "Pickett's Charge"
fame from the Battle of Gettysburg.
It was alleged that Pritchard fraudulently obtained military
artifacts, correspondence, and photographs from Pickett descendants
for approximately $88,000 and, in turn, resold those artifacts
to the Harrisburg National Civil War Museum for approximately
$880,000.
It was further alleged that the defendants provided false sworn
testimony in federal civil proceedings that stemmed from a civil
suit instituted by a Pickett descendant against Pritchard and
AOPA.
Pritchard was also charged with attempting to tamper with a
potential witness in the civil case. That witness, the grand
jury charges, had participated in the phony Roadshow appraisal
with Pritchard and Juno.
On May 15, 2001, defendant George Juno entered a guilty plea
to mail fraud, wire fraud, and false testimony as charged in
the indictment.
The Superseding Indictment
The Superseding Indictment again charges defendant Russ Pritchard,
III with the offenses initially charged on March 21, 2001. These
charges are contained in Counts One through Seven and Nineteen
through Twenty-Two of the Superseding Indictment.
The grand jury has charged additional offenses against Russ
Pritchard, III concerning the acquisition of a presentation
firearm of General George Meade of Gettysburg fame, the Patterson
Collection of Civil War artifacts, the uniform of Confederate
Officer Lieutenant Colonel William Hunt, and a Union Zouave
unit sergeant's uniform. These offenses involve allegations
of mail fraud and theft from two museums.
The Meade presentation firearm
The grand jury charged that Russ Pritchard, III through false
representations that the firearm would be permanently displayed
at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, fraudulently
obtained a Civil War presentation firearm from a descendant
in Philadelphia of Union officer Major General George Meade,
who led the Union forces at Gettysburg.
It was further alleged that the defendant engaged in a deceptive
appraisal of the firearm. In fact, the indictment charged, the
firearm was obtained for the personal profit of the defendant
who resold the firearm at great
profit to a private collector.
The Patterson Collection of Civil War Artifacts
The grand jury further charged that Russ Pritchard, III through
false representations that the Patterson Collection of Civil
War artifacts would be permanently displayed at the National
Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, fraudulently obtained portions
of the Patterson Collection for resale to a private dealer.
It was further alleged that the defendant engaged in the theft
of a Confederate enlisted man's overcoat from the Collection
after advising the owner of the uniform that the article was
worthless. The grand jury charges that the defendant sold this
authentic overcoat for personal gain.
It is also alleged that Pritchard, III stole uniform ornaments
from another Confederate uniform, a cavalry officer's frock
coat, and placed them onto another coat that he owned to increase
its value for resale.
The Confederate Lieutenant Colonel William R. Hunt uniform
The grand jury further charges that Russ Pritchard, III and
his father, Russ Pritchard, Jr. obtained and stole the uniform
to conduct an appraisal and then falsely advised the museum
that the uniform was a costume, worthless, and had been given
away to Goodwill. In reality, the grand jury charges, the uniform
was resold by defendant Russ Pritchard, III to a private dealer.
The Union Zouave uniform
The grand jury further charges that defendant Russ Pritchard
III initially sold a Union sergeant's Zouave uniform to the
National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. At a later date, it
is charged, Pritchard bought a second Zouave uniform. After
discovering that this uniform was not authentic and practically
worthless, it is alleged that Pritchard switched the fake uniform
with the legitimate uniform at the National Civil War Museum.
The stolen Zouave uniform was then resold by AOPA.
The indictment charges Pritchard, III in eleven counts of mail
fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section
1341; three counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18,
United States Code, Section 1343; three counts of interstate
transportation of stolen property, in violation of Title 18,
United States Code, Section 2314; two counts of theft from a
museum, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section
668; one count of false statement ancillary to a court proceeding,
in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1623;
and one count of witness tampering, in violation of Title 18,
United States Code, Section 1512(b)(1).
The indictment charges Pritchard, Jr. in one count of theft
from a museum, in violation of Title 18, United States Code,
Section 668; and one count of accessory after the fact, in violation
of Title 18, United States Code, Section 3.
If convicted, Pritchard, III faces 130 years imprisonment and
a $5,250,000 fine. Pritchard, Jr. faces 15 years imprisonment
and a $500,000 fine. The case was investigated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
