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New Mexico Couple Pleads Guilty to Selling Fake Native American Jewelry
The pair falsely claimed their jewelry was made by Navajo artists, but it was imported from Vietnam.
New Mexico jewelers Kiem Thanh Huynh and My Ngoc Truong pleaded guilty to smuggling and violating the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
Asheville, N.C.—A couple from New Mexico has pleaded guilty to smuggling and selling fake Native American jewelry.
Kiem Thanh Huynh, 60, and My Ngoc Truong, 61, admitted to smuggling jewelry into the United States from Vietnam and selling it to consumers as authentic, Native American-made jewelry, according to a press release from the office of Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The husband and wife appeared in court in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday, pleading guilty to misrepresentation of Indian goods in an amount greater than $1,000, in violation of the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and to smuggling.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is a truth-in-marketing law that seeks to prevent counterfeits from entering the American Indian and Alaska Native (Indian) art and crafts marketplace, said Meridith Stanton, director of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
As per court documents and the plea hearing, Huynh and Truong co-owned MT Jewelry MFG. Inc. (MT Jewelry) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Marketed to wholesale customers, the business’ website claimed it specialized in “creating unique and handmade southwestern jewelry.”
The pair traveled to trade shows throughout the U.S., including in Western North Carolina, where they sold their merchandise as authentic Native American jewelry.
However, most of the jewelry they sold was not “Indian produced or the product of an Indian tribe,” said officials.
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Kiem Thanh Huynh, 60, and My Ngoc Truong, 61, admitted to smuggling jewelry into the United States from Vietnam and selling it to consumers as authentic, Native American-made jewelry, according to a press release from the office of Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The husband and wife appeared in court in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday, pleading guilty to misrepresentation of Indian goods in an amount greater than $1,000, in violation of the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and to smuggling.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is a truth-in-marketing law that seeks to prevent counterfeits from entering the American Indian and Alaska Native (Indian) art and crafts marketplace, said Meridith Stanton, director of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
As per court documents and the plea hearing, Huynh and Truong co-owned MT Jewelry MFG. Inc. (MT Jewelry) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Marketed to wholesale customers, the business’ website claimed it specialized in “creating unique and handmade southwestern jewelry.”
The pair traveled to trade shows throughout the U.S., including in Western North Carolina, where they sold their merchandise as authentic Native American jewelry.
However, most of the jewelry they sold was not “Indian produced or the product of an Indian tribe,” said officials.
Between December 2023 and July 2024, officials intercepted six shipments from Vietnam that were headed to MT Jewelry.
They contained pendants, bracelets, and rings made in Vietnam to resemble Native American-style jewelry.
The jewelry featured gemstones as well as “fish or wildlife products,” and were marked with inscriptions or other hallmarks commonly used by Native artists to authenticate their work.
Huynh and Truong did not mark the items in a way that indicated they were imported, officials said.
When pleading guilty, the pair admitted that, on two occasions, they attended GLW Shows in Western North Carolina where they sold counterfeit Native American jewelry contained in shipments flagged by investigators.
At their shop in Albuquerque, the couple told customers their workers were Navajo and that the jewelry was made by Native American artists.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Ferguson said.
While the law protects consumers and the economic livelihoods of Native artists and artisans, Stanton added that it also helps to preserve the artists’ cultural heritage.
“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,” she said.
Huynh and Truong will remain free pending sentencing. They face a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison for violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and up to 20 years for the smuggling charge.
They have agreed to forfeit around $341,968, the proceeds of their sales of fake Native American jewelry.
In a recent similar case, a Florida man who passed off jewelry made overseas as authentic, handmade Native American works was fined $25,000 and sentenced to three years of probation.
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