REAL LIFE TOMB
RAIDER ON FEDERAL RAP
Copyright 2004 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ September 10th 2004 ]
A Californian
man who allegedly sold what he claimed was the
200 year-old skull of a Hawaiian warrior on eBay
has been charged with a federal crime that could
see him jailed for up to five years if convicted.
Jerry David Hasson, 55, of Huntington Beach, California,
was charged on Wednesday with a single count of
violating the Archaeological Resources Protection
Act in connection with running one of the most
bizarre auctions ever conducted online.
In February
2004, Hasson placed the skull of "200-year old
warrior" who "died on Maui in the 1790s" up for
auction on eBay, with bidding starting at $1,000
and an immediate purchase price of $12,500, according
to prosecutors. As part of the auction, Hasson
claimed to took the skull as a souvenir from a
guarded excavation site located on Kaanapali Beach
on Maui in 1969. Hasson stated that the skull
and other skeletal remains on beach were those
of Hawaiian warriors who fought with or against
Hawaii's legendary King Kamehameha.
Subsequent
examination of the skull revealed that it did
date back over 200 years. But a recognized expert
in the identification of Native Hawaiian remains
at the University of Hawaii's Department of Anthropology
concluded that the skull was that of a woman,
who was approximately 50 years old at the time
of her death. So it's hardly likely to be that
of a warrior unless Hawaii harboured an Amazon
race of pensioner warriors in its pre-history
or a crack black magic squad - in which case a
federal rap is the least of Hasson's worries.
Hasson
will be summoned to appear in US District Court
in Los Angeles over coming weeks to face a single
charge of violating archaeological protection
laws punishable on conviction by up to five years
in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. The
skull will be reburied once it is no longer needed
as evidence
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