Juno Settles Libel Suit Brought By The Civil War News
May '02 issue

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — George W. Juno, dealer in Civil War collectibles whose company was found guilty by a federal court jury of defrauding descendants of Gen. George Pickett of more than $800,000, and who himself pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of defrauding a Union major's relatives of $10,000 by presenting a phony appraisal and bill of sale for a presentation sword, has once again admitted to lying.

This time Juno agreed to pay $30,000 in damages to The Civil War News and its publisher, C. Peter Jorgensen, for defamatory statements Juno made in a two-page letter he mailed to the newspaper's advertisers in March 2000. He also posted it on two Internet sites set up under the names www.civilwarnews.net and .org to confuse people with the newspaper's site, www.civilwarnews.com.

Juno also agreed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas proceeding to "rescind" the malicious and false statements he made about the publisher, and to issue a statement of "regret" and "sincere apology" for his actions in attempting to defame this publication.

His letter dated March 28 reads: "Dear Mr. Jorgensen: I write this letter to state that I both regret and rescind the letters I mailed and placed on the Internet, including any content therein that could have been misconstrued to apply to Mr. C. Peter Jorgensen, or your newspaper, the Civil War News, and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment this may have caused. Sincerely yours, George W. Juno."

Juno's letter to advertisers and his setting up the confusing Internet sites apparently were in retaliation against The Civil War News for the truthful reporting of court proceedings in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and federal courts.

Juno, and his former partner, Russ Pritchard III, are awaiting sentencing on federal perjury, fraud and, in Pritchard's case, theft charges. Both have already pleaded "guilty" in federal court rather than face jury trials. Pritchard's father, Russ Pritchard Jr., who was their business partner, was convicted in January 2002 by a federal jury of theft from a museum. He also is awaiting sentencing. Their company was called "American Ordnance Preservation Association," known as AOPA.

In 1996, Juno and Pritchard began appearing on the Public Broadcasting System's "Antiques Roadshow" as "expert appraisers" of Civil War artifacts and collectibles. Among the charges Juno and Pritchard III have pleaded guilty to is the staging of two appraisals on the TV show in order to attract potential customers. Furthermore, Juno has admitted lying under oath in a federal court proceeding where the question of the "staged" appraisals was put directly to him while he was on the witness stand.

The felony charges of perjury and mail and wire fraud against them arose out of investigation by the FBI and the United States Attorney's office in Philadelphia.

When their "Antiques Roadshow" scams were disclosed in open court testimony in a proceeding Juno brought against the Maryland Antique Arms Collectors Association in March 2000 the pair were fired by WGBH-TV, Boston, the show's producer, and the segments on which they appeared were cut out of the taped reruns.

Among those who were defrauded by one or more of the AOPA partners are George E. Pickett V, great-great-grandson of Confederate General George E. Pickett, who was awarded $800,000 by a federal jury; the family of Union Major Samuel J. Wilson, who was swindled out of $10,000 by presentation of a false receipt by Juno; the Hunt-Phelan Museum of Memphis which was swindled out of a CSA officer's uniform by the two Pritchards.

Also, the city of Harrisburg, Pa., which lost money and reputation as well as artifacts as Juno and Pritchard III "represented" its National Civil War Museum as "purchasing agents" and sold the museum items at up to ten times their cost of acquisition. Pritchard also pleaded guilty to placing a worthless Zouave uniform in the museum's collection and taking out a valuable one.

The whole unraveling of the frauds and scams began when William Synnamon of the Union Drummer Boy Relic Shop in Gettysburg brought suit against AOPA and its owners. Synnamon settled his case for an undisclosed sum before it went to trial, but that action called attention to AOPA's shady dealings.

Civil War News publisher Jorgensen, in commenting on the newspaper's case against Juno, stated, "We didn't go into this action for money but to protect a newspaper's fundamental First Amendment right to publish the truth of what came out in open court, from Juno's own statements, without having to fear his vengeful, malicious and slanderous attacks set forth in a letter to our advertisers and on the internet.

"We were obliged to defend ourselves and we are pleased to accept George Juno's rescission of his defamatory and false statements and his apologies for this malicious mailing in an attempt to influence our advertisers and readers against us."

The Civil War News and Jorgensen were represented by attorney Gavin P. Lentz of Bochetto & Lentz of Philadelphia, the same law firm which represented George E. Pickett V, William Synnamon and the Maryland Arms Collectors Association in court proceedings against AOPA and one or more of its former principal owners.