New Mexico Couple Pleads Guilty to Smuggling and Selling Counterfeit Native American Jewelry

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A husband and wife from New Mexico appeared in federal court in Asheville today and pleaded guilty to smuggling counterfeit Native American jewelry made in Vietnam and selling it to customers in the United States as authentic, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Kiem Thanh Huynh, 60, and My Ngoc Truong, 61, pleaded guilty to misrepresentation of Indian goods in an amount greater than $1,000, in violation of the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and smuggling.

Meridith Stanton, Director of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the U.S. Department of the Interior, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today's announcement.

"Those who profit by passing off counterfeit goods as authentic Native American items are not just deceiving buyers, they are exploiting culture and taking income from Native American artists and their communities," said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. "Protecting the integrity of Native American art and heritage is vital to persevering Indian cultural traditions and economic opportunity. My office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement counterparts to investigate these cases and hold accountable anyone who seeks to profit from counterfeit Indian items."

"The Indian Arts and Crafts Board administers and enforces the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a truth-in-marketing law," said Director Stanton. "The Act is intended to rid the American Indian and Alaska Native (Indian) art and crafts marketplace of counterfeits in order to protect the economic livelihoods and cultural heritage of Indian artists and artisans and their Tribes, as well as consumers. Authentic Indian art and craftwork is a critically important tool for the passage of cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and artistic skills from one generation to the next. Huynh and Truong's importation in bulk of counterfeit Indian jewelry from Vietnam and subsequent wholesale of the jewelry as Navajo made is an affront to Indian cultures, economies, artists, and artisans of the Indian Tribes resident in North Carolina, and Indians nationwide. Due to the outstanding work of the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Indian Arts and Crafts Act Investigative Unit, the perpetrators are being held accountable, and the message is clear. For those selling counterfeit Indian art it is important to know that wherever you are we will diligently work to find you and hold you accountable."

"By smuggling and falsely marketing imported goods as authentic Native American handicrafts, Hyunh and Truong undermined the livelihoods and cultural traditions of Native American artists and took advantage of customers," said Assistant Director Doug Ault, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. "The Indian Arts and Crafts Act exists to protect Native artists, their work, and the generations of tradition behind it. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to work with the Department of Justice and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board to investigate these violations, and today's guilty plea reflects our commitment to protecting consumers, standing with tribal communities, and holding accountable those who exploit Native artists and this market for profit."

According to filed documents and the plea hearing, Huynh and Truong co-owned MT Jewelry MFG., Inc. (MT Jewelry) located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The business, marketed to wholesale customers, claimed on its website that it specialized "in creating unique and handmade southwestern jewelry." Huynh and Truong traveled to trade shows throughout the United States, including in Western North Carolina, where they sold their merchandise as authentic Native American jewelry.

According to plea documents, much of the jewelry sold by the defendants was not Indian produced or the product of an Indian tribe. Between December 2023 and July 2024, law enforcement intercepted six shipments from Vietnam that were destined for MT Jewelry. The shipments contained jewelry, including pendants, bracelets and rings, made in Vietnam to resemble Native American-style jewelry. The jewelry was adorned with unique stones and/or fish or wildlife products and were marked with inscriptions and other hallmarks commonly used by artists to authenticate their handicrafts. As importers of jewelry, Huynh and Truong failed to mark the items with country-of-origin or other commercially feasible markers to indicate they were imported before selling them.

In pleading guilty, the defendants admitted that, on two occasions, Huynh and Truong attended GLW Shows in Western North Carolina where they sold counterfeit jewelry contained in shipments intercepted by investigators. Huynh and Truong falsely claimed that the jewelry was made by Native American artists at their shop in Albuquerque and that their workers were Navajo. As Huynh and Truong admitted in court, the defendants knew the jewelry they were selling was made in Vietnam by non-Indians and that they falsely sold these items as authentic Native American handicraft.

Huynh and Truong will remain out of custody pending sentencing. At sentencing they face a maximum sentence 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, constituting the proceeds of their crimes.

In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Indian Arts and Crafts Act Investigative Unit for the investigation of this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Asheville is prosecuting the case.