FL Jewelry Maker In WI Lied About Being Native American: Feds

MERCER, WI — A Florida man who made and sold jewelry in Wisconsin lied about being Native American, according to federal authorities.

Jose Farinango Muenala, 45, of Casselberry, Florida faces federal counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, and misrepresenting Indian-produced goods.

The indictment against Muenala was unsealed Thursday after agents served him with a summons ordering him to appear in U.S. court in Wisconsin on July 30.

If convicted of wire fraud or mail fraud, Muenala faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A conviction of misrepresenting Indian-produced goods carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

"Jose Farinango’s false tribal affiliation cheated customers and impacted the economic and cultural livelihood of Native American artists," said Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior Indian Arts and Craft Board.

From December 2015 to Jan. 17, 2024, Muenala applied to art shows across the U.S. in order to sell jewelry. Muenal falsely represented that he was Native American and made the jewelry he displayed for sale, investigators said.

But Muenal falsely sold his goods under the banner of "the Pueblo Nation of New Mexico," according to officials.

While lying about being Native American, Muenala applied to sell jewelry at the "Loon Day Art & Craft Show" in Mercer, Wisconsin, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 2, 2023, Muenala sold jewelry he falsely claimed was Native American-produced, according to authorities.

"The Indian Arts and Crafts Board administers and enforces the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a truth-in-marketing law," notes Indian Arts and Crafts Board Director Meridith Stanton.

"The Act is intended to rid the Indian arts and crafts marketplace of fakes to protect the economic livelihoods and cultural heritage of Indian artists, craftspeople, and their Tribes, as well as the buying public. Authentic Indian art and craftwork is an important tool for passing down cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and artistic skills from one generation to the next. Those that market fake Indian art and craftwork, such as under Jose Farinango’s guise of from “the Pueblo Nation of New Mexico,” tear at the very fabric of Indian culture and livelihoods and prey upon unwitting consumers, and therefore must be held accountable."