Artifacts source blamed himself for suicides, report states

SALT LAKE CITY — Two days before he killed himself, the undercover informant in a federal sting targeting looted Southwestern artifacts told a friend he felt responsible for the suicides of two defendants, according to police reports released Thursday.

Ted Gardiner told the friend he was upset over his involvement in the case and felt like he'd been "thrown to the curb," according to records released by the Unified Police Department.

The sting eventually led to charges against 26 people for allegedly stealing and trafficking in American Indian relics taken illegally from public and tribal lands.

Two people, including a prominent southern Utah doctor, committed suicide last June shortly after the indictments were announced.

Police were called to Gardiner's home in Holladay on Feb. 27 after reports that he was threatening to take his own life. A friend who came to his aid told investigators that Gardiner was suicidal, saying over and over again that he was "done."

The friend, a woman Gardiner had met at Alcoholics Anonymous years earlier, told police that the 52-year-old informant said he was rattled by the suicides in the case, believing he had "killed two people," according to the documents.

He was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation that night.

Two nights later, police were called to Gardiner's house again after a roommate told 911 he was suicidal and had a gun. Gardiner shot himself in the head after a short standoff with police.

Gardiner, a former antiquities dealer and grocery chain chief executive officer, worked undercover for the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for more than two years. He wore a wire and transmitted live video and audio signals to federal agents who monitored his transactions with a cast of dealers and collectors in Western states.

He eventually struck deals for more than 250 artifacts worth more than $335,000. He was typically paid around $7,500 a month.

Of the 26 defendants, four have pleaded guilty. Trials for the others are scheduled for later this year.