Appraisers Pritchard & Juno Indicted
News release dated March 15 from the United States Attorney's
Office in Philadelphia:
United States Attorney Michael R. Stiles and Robert Conforti,
Special Agent in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation today announced the filing of
a thirteen-count indictment charging Russ Pritchard III and
George Juno for their involvement in a mail and wire fraud scheme
in Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County, arising from the acquisition
and sale of Civil War era military artifacts.
The grand jury charges that the defendants 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 alleges 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 charges 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 is 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 Civil War Museum.
In fact, the indictment charges, 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 alleges 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 is 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 is 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 is 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.
The indictment charges six 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, and three counts of false statements ancillary
to a court proceeding in violation of Title 18, United States
Code, Section 1623. Pritchard is also charged with one count
of tampering with a witness, in violation of Title 18, United
States Code, Section 1512(b)(1).
If convicted, Pritchard faces 60 years imprisonment and $2,750,000
million fine. June faces 45 years imprisonment and $2,250,000
fine. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case has been assigned to Assistant United States Attorney
Robert E. Goldman.
The Civil War News coverage of the indictments will appear
in the May issue of the newspaper.
