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Utah Man Pleads Guilty To Search For Treasure In Yellowstone National Park Cemetery

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By NPT Staff - January 6th, 2021

A Utah man has pleaded guilty to digging in a Yellowstone cemetery in search of buried treasure/NPS file

A Utah man found digging in a Yellowstone National Park cemetery in search of the treasure Forrest Fenn said he buried somewhere in the West has pleaded guilty to excavating or trafficking in archaeological resources, and injury or depredation to United States property.

Fenn, an art dealer from Texas, claimed to have buried a cache of gold and jewels worth millions of dollars somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He published a book in which he left clues to where the treasure could be found. At least five people died in their pursuit of the treasure, which was found this past year in Wyoming.

Rodrick Dow Craythorn, 52, of Syracuse, Utah, did not find the treasure, but was indicted this past fall on charges stemming from his activity in the Fort Yellowstone Cemetery. He entered guilty pleas on Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming.

“The hunt for the Forrest Fenn treasure was often viewed as a harmless diversion, but in this case it led to substantial damage to important public resources,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Klaassen. “The defendant let his quest for discovery override respect for the law.”

Excavating or trafficking in archaeological resources carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $20,000, and one year of supervised release. Injury or depredation to United States Property carries a penalty of not more than ten years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl accepted Craythorn’s plea and scheduled his sentencing on March 17, 2021 in Casper, Wyoming at the Ewing T. Kerr Federal Court House.

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