- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Arts and Culture
A San Francisco woman was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit Native American jewelry falsely marketed as authentic work by Native artists, federal prosecutors said.
Molly Breivis, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of misrepresentation of Indian-produced goods valued at less than $1,000. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alison Bachus sentenced her Tuesday to time served and the fine in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
According to court records, Breivis sold jewelry through an eBay store between 2020 and 2024, claiming the pieces were created by Apache, Laguna, Navajo or Zuni artists. Instead, she imported the jewelry from Asia and admitted selling more than $92,000 worth of counterfeit merchandise.
Federal officials said Breivis continued selling the items after receiving two warning letters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued through the Interior Department's Indian Arts and Crafts Board, advising that the sales violated the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
As part of her plea agreement, Breivis also agreed to publish a public letter of apology on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board's website. In the letter, she acknowledged her actions harmed Native artists, businesses and consumer confidence in the market for authentic Native-made jewelry.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is a federal truth-in-advertising law that prohibits marketing products as Native American-made unless they were produced by an enrolled member of a federally or state recognized tribe or a certified Indian artisan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the case.
