Artist pleads guilty to falsely claiming to be Cherokee

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Odessa man has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a Cherokee artist to sell his artwork.

The Kansas City Star reports 63-year-old Terry Lee Whetstone was sentenced to three years of probation Wednesday. He had been charged with violating the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The act says that artwork that is claimed to be made by Native Americans can only be sold by members of federally recognized tribes, or those given permission from the tribe.

Prosecutors say Whetstone portrayed himself to be a Cherokee artist on his website, but was not enrolled as a member of the Cherokee Nation or any other federally recognized tribe.