Two members of a Washington family sentenced for selling fake Alaska Native art in Ketchikan

Alaska Stone Arts, 1 of nan Rodrigo family’s stores, connected Front Street (KRBD File Photo)

Glenda Rodrigo, 46, and Christian Rodrigo, 24, pled blameworthy past period to violating nan national Indian Arts and Crafts Act. Prosecutors opportunity they were portion of a strategy to walk disconnected clone chromatic carvings and wood totem poles arsenic accepted creation made by section Tlingít and Haida artisans.

Cristobal Rodrigo, Glenda’s hubby and Christian’s father, was sentenced successful 2023 to 2 years successful situation for his domiciled successful nan scheme. Its still nan longest condemnation a suspect has received for immoderate akin usurpation successful nan United States, according to nan U.S. Department of Justice.

The Rodrigo family ran 2 storefronts successful downtown Ketchikan – Alaska Stone Arts and Rail Creek. They were surviving successful Washington authorities astatine nan time. Rail Creek sold mostly woody totem poles and Alaska Stone Art sold chromatic carvings. Both though were advertised arsenic being made by Alaska Native maestro carvers and artisans.

But they were really originated from a business successful nan Philippines called Rodrigo Creative Crafts. The institution successful nan Philippines was owned by Glenda Rodrigo. Its sole intent was to usage Philippine labour to make knock-off Alaska Native designs.

They were past shipped to nan U.S. and nan Rodrigo’s Ketchikan storefronts. The family moreover hired Alaska Native group to waste nan creation arsenic their own. Federal prosecutors recovered that nan workers told customers they were each 1 large family and made everything from locally originated materials.

The stores operated from 2016 to 2021. In 2019 alone, aft they’d unknowingly drawn nan attraction of national agents, they sold astir $1 cardinal of nan clone art.

Cristobal Rodrigo worked successful nan tourer waste and acquisition for complete 20 years earlier nan family started Rail Creek and Alaska Stone Works. According to nan Department of Justice, he went to nan Philippines successful nan precocious 90s to thatch nan Filipino labor of his wife’s institution really to imitate Alaska Native styles. He besides handled astir of nan day-to-day operations successful Ketchikan.

Glenda oversaw nan Philippines cognition from afar, and nan affairs astatine some stores – though she only co-owned 1 of them pinch her husband. Cristobal was nan sole proprietor of Rail Creek.

As for Christian, he worked arsenic a salesperson and helped run nan stores.

Meridith Stanton is nan Director of nan Indian Arts and Crafts Board. In a written statement, she said that she hopes nan sentences will nonstop a beardown connection to those who whitethorn prey connected existent Alaska Native artists and susceptible consumers.

She said: “Fakes and counterfeits, specified arsenic those marketed for immense sums of money by nan Rodrigos, tear astatine nan very cloth of Alaska Native culture, Native livelihoods, and Native communities.”

Glenda Rodrigo was sentenced to up to six months of location confinement and 240 hours of organization service, and Christian Rodrigo was sentenced to up to 3 months of location confinement and 200 hours of organization service. Plus, some defendants are required to service 5 years of probation and constitute a missive of apology to beryllium published successful nan section newspaper. The full family is required to salary a small complete $54,000 successful restitution.