A former Anchorage gift shop owner has been fined and ordered to do community service for misrepresenting hundreds of his own carvings as having been made by an Alaska Native artist.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason handed down the sentence in mid-March for Lee Screnock, 60, on charges stemming from Screnock’s ownership of the Arctic Treasures gift shop in downtown Anchorage.
His actions are a felony violation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, which prohibits false marketing of arts and crafts as Alaska Native or American Indian, or as the product of a particular Indian tribe within the United States.
Screnock was first charged in 2018 with a felony violation of the IACA and a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
He was sentenced to pay $2,500 in restitution to the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, perform 100 hours of community service, forfeit seized retail products valued at $125,000, and five years of probation during which time he may not work with any wildlife products.
