The FBI
Back in 2014, the FBI were seen surrounding the home of a popular community member in Rush County, Indiana. They had command vehicles, ATV’s, squad cars, and were even setting up tents nearby…
What’s Going On?
TV helicopters were seen over the scene. Neighbors were worried… Did someone die? Was there a threat? What was going on…
Very Vague
Due to how serious the event was, the news could only offer very vague details… They didn’t want anyone interrupting their plan.
Intro: Don Miller
Don Miller was 91 at the time. He owned the property they were surrounding… What could a 91-year-old be capable of doing that involves a SWAT team?
Decades-Old Secret
Turns out, Don had a bit of a secret… This secret spanned decades and it took the FBI extremely long to catch on. What they found on his property sparked international attention.
Big Time Collector
On his property, he had a collection of thousands of cultural artifacts. These artifacts even stunned international scholars who had been studying things like this for years…
Time To Investigate
The FBI’s Art Crime Team were dispatched to the elderly man’s home. He had been found with a bunch of Native American artifacts as well as others from around the world.
Back To Its Rightful Owners
The FBI ended up returning 361 Chinese cultural artifacts to China. They sent it straight to the Eiteljorg Museum, where they belong. This wasn’t the craziest part…
He’s Had Quite The Life!
Soon, we started learning more and more about Mr. Don. His background was… insane.
Army Man
Don joined the Army Reserve after growing up in rural Rush County. He was stationed in New Mexico when he was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project…
The Manhattan Project
If you don’t know, the Manhattan Project was the project of the atomic bomb. Scientists and soldiers alike worked on two atomic bombs during World War II.
Don Was There
Investigators found photos of Don outside of a bunker before the first atomic explosion in Los Alamos. This was dated in 1945, which means his story checks out.
So It Began
He worked for thirty years at the Naval Avionics Center in Indianapolis. He used much of his vacation time to go on archaeological digs… That explains part of his collection.
Nobel Figure
In his community, he was known as a philanthropist. His wife, Sue Miller, was a Christian missionary who worked mainly in Haiti and Colombia.
Don Has Passed
Don died in March of 2015 at 91 years old. It was almost a full year after the FBI first went to his home. He faced no charges at the time of his death…
No Charges
The FBI was adamant in saying that they had made no charges or arrests in connection with his collection. They also said that he was very cooperative.
Very Cooperative
“Mr. Miller passed away before our investigation was complete,” an investigator said. “We want to note that Mr. Miller was cooperative with the FBI. He cooperated with us from the outset.”
Still Ongoing
There were no further comments on other charges with those involved of his collection. Parts of the investigation are still ongoing.
Survived By
Don had another wife after the death of Sue Miller, Sandra Hawkin. He was also survived by his sister-in-law, five nephews, and two nieces.
Crazy Collection
According to FBI agents, they found about 42,000 items in his care. Half of them were Native American and the other half were an eclectic bunch from countries around the world…
Tons of Different Backgrounds
Some of the items were pre-Columbian pottery, an Italian mosaic, and even enough human remains that could make 500 people. The bones were from ancient Native American burial sites.
Big Violations
China, Russia, and New Guinea also had artifacts stolen from them. The FBI took more than 7,000 of the artifacts back as they were found to violate state, federal, and international treaties.
Impressive Finds
“I have never seen a collection like this in my life except in some of the largest museums,” Larry Zimmerman, a professor of anthropology and museum studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Don Enjoyed Showing Them Off
Don enjoyed showing random folks his collection as long as they were interested. He welcomed visitors by playing a 1927 Wurlitzer pipe organ. He was also interviewed many times.
Top-Secret Finds…
Among the collection was a Nazi helmet and a shrunken head. It’s not been confirmed if the shrunken head is authentic. They also saw Ming Dynasty jade and a 60-foot anaconda skin.
Working On An Exhibit
In the summer of 2014, before the FBI caught on, Don loaned arrowheads, pottery, and tools to the Shelby County Historical Society’s Grover Museum.
More Crazy Items
Some of his items were showcased in a 1998 IndyStar article. It mentioned two dinosaur eggs that were probably laid in China, a dugout canoe he said was that a South American indigenous man made him, a wooden cowbell from Tibet, and arrowheads. That didn’t even scratch the surface of what he really had!
How Did He Get These?
So, how did he get these things? “We will not comment specifically, but have stated publicly that he obtained pieces illegally or improperly,” said Carpenter. Makes sense, they don’t want anyone to do it again!
Tweets
The U.S. Embassy in Canada tweeted in October about two mammoth tusks that were given back. Apparently, Don got them during a trip to 1960 in Calgary. He must have had some connects…
More Questions…
Once again, the FBI was hesitant to say how he got them from other countries… It definitely wasn’t easy. They did mention that during the height of his movement, restrictions weren’t as tough.
A Different Time
“If you’re talking about moving objects into the United States maybe back in the ’50s or the ’60s or the ’70s, it may have been a little easier to just drive the stuff across the border through customs,” Carpenter said.
Big Threats
He also goes on to say that customs has “a lot of threats that they have to deal with and maybe they’re not specifically trained or sufficiently trained to look for cultural property. They’re busy looking for guns and drugs and weapons of mass destruction,” he said.
Spread Out
Don had stored the collection within two residences. One was his home, and another was an unoccupied residence that he owned. The parts of the collection that didn’t fit there were among buildings on his farm.
He Tried To Get Them Into Museums
During the investigation, Special Agent Robert A. Jones said that Don did try to preserve them in museums, but apparently, they weren’t at the level of museum standards.
Anonymous Tip
The FBI received an anonymous tip in 2013 that Don had human remains. Special Agent Drew Northern said that the FBI had been in contact with Don prior to the investigation. They reached out to him before showing up.
Processed
The FBI was mainly concerned with how he took the pieces illegally and improperly. It was an easy feat as Don cooperated with them.
It’s Tricky
They were also concerned that Don “knowingly and unknowingly collected artifacts, relics, and objects of cultural patrimony, in violation of several treaties along with Federal and State statutes.”
A Whole Process
“Even just figuring out which ones are illegally possessed in the United States is an enormous task when he’s purchased them over so many years, so you can see why this is such a difficult problem to solve,” said Virginia Attorney David B. Smith.
Too Much…
In order for this to be a thorough investigation, Smith said that each artifact must be considered separately. It all came down to the date of purchase, trade law at the time, country’s law, and cultural importance.
Working Hard
The FBI has been busy moving the artifacts back to their rightful places. They’ve been working with American Indian Tribes, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Spain, Cambodia, and Iraq. That only accounts for 15% of what they’ve seized. Â