Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ALBUQUERQUE – A Santa Fe man was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to pay $1,996.44 in restitution for vandalizing ancient petroglyphs at the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Area near Santa Fe. He was also required to perform 50 hours of community service for an organization working in public lands and cultural conservation, and to provide 48 hours of service with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as in-kind restitution to the United States.
According to court documents, on October 19, 2022, Jesse Foster drove to the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Area near Santa Fe, New Mexico, and spray-painted several areas of the rocks near and around the petroglyphs. These drawings date back as early as 13th century through the 17th century and have significant cultural meaning to the Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos.
Foster pled guilty to damage or defacement of archeological resources on September 27, 2024, and was sentenced to a 6-month probation term and ordered to pay $1,996.44 in restitution. As part of his sentence, Foster must complete 98 hours of community service, with 48 hours specifically benefiting the Bureau of Land Management and the other 50 hours benefitting the community specifically in the realm of public lands and cultural conservation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Bureau of Land Management notes that the plea agreement took into consideration that Foster did not participate in or have any connection to a previous vandalism incident at the same site. Rather, Foster’s graffiti was an attempt to balance out that graffiti with his own less-offensive spray-painted vandalism.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Josiah Andrews, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Land Management, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Land Management, Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Region 5, investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tavo Hall prosecuted the case.