A San Francisco woman was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine in federal court on Aug. 5 after being convicted of selling counterfeit Native American jewelry. Molly Breivis, 57, received her sentence from U.S. Magistrate Judge Alison Bachus and also agreed to issue a public letter of apology to the Native American community, which will be published on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board website.
Breivis pleaded guilty to Misrepresentation of Indian Produced Goods of Less Than $1,000. She admitted to fraudulently selling jewelry online between approximately 2020 and 2024 through her eBay store by claiming it was made by Apache, Laguna, Navajo, or Zuni artists when it had actually been imported from Asia. Despite receiving two warning letters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Indian Arts and Crafts Board about violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, Breivis continued her activities. In total, she admitted to selling over $92,000 in counterfeit jewelry.
In her letter of apology that will be published on the IACB website, Breivis wrote: “I recognize that my conduct harmed customers and affected Native American artists, artisans, and businesses that depend on the sale of authentic work. I understand that it also undermined confidence in the market for authentic Native American jewelry.”
Assistant Director Doug Ault of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement said, “The deliberate misrepresentation and sale of counterfeit Native American jewelry, as seen in this case, inflicts real harm on both the marketplace and the cultural heritage of Native American artists and tribes… The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service… remains steadfast in investigating Indian Arts and Crafts Act violations.”
Indian Arts and Crafts Board Director Meridith Stanton said, “By statute… [the law] is intended to remove counterfeit Indian art from the marketplace… By selling imported jewelry from Asia misrepresented as authentic Apache, Laguna, Navajo, and Zuni jewelry through her eBay store, Breivis undercut the livelihoods… defrauded vulnerable customers.”
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel for Arizona’s District—a division responsible for federal prosecutions across Arizona’s border region with Mexico as well as tribal lands; it employs about 180 assistant attorneys working alongside various law enforcement agencies, according to the official website.