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Man Who Stole From Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site Pleads Guilty, Sentenced To Probation

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Published Date

November 29, 2016

A man who stole upwards of $22,000 in merchandize from Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Arizona has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay more than $3,300 in restitution.

Stanley Ben, 63, admitted to taking Native American jewelry and Navajo ceremonial blankets from the trading post, according to a release from the National Park Service's Investigative Services Branch.

Court documents describe how the investigation started after a Naja bolo tie valued at $1,200 was discovered missing from the park. Investigators linked Ben to the theft of merchandise valued between $12,900 to $22,140 from October 2014 to August 2015, and its transport to pawn shops, trading companies, and other trading posts in New Mexico for pawn or sale, the branch said.

On October 31, 2016, a federal judge sentenced Ben, whose address was not included in the release, to five years of probation and banned him from the park for the duration. Ben must pay more than $3,300 in restitution and attend court-ordered substance-abuse counseling, the release said. He is also prohibited from frequenting the pawn shops and trading companies in Arizona and New Mexico where he'd pawned many of the stolen items.

Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site is the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation. Established in 1878, it offers groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee, and Native American art.

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Comments

Submitted by Dave S. on December 2, 2016 - 12:59pm.

Well, good for Stanley.  He stands to make around $17,000 profit at a cost of a few counseling sessions.  What's wrong in this picture?


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