Montana Man Sentenced for Defacing a Prehistoric Native American Art Site

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann has sentenced a Missoula, Montana, man convicted of Destruction of Government Property. The sentencing took place on December 5, 2022.

Balgaroslav Todorov Latinow, a/k/a Bobby Latinow, 56, was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $7,156.00 in restitution and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Latinow was indicted for Destruction of Government Property and Unauthorized Damage and Defacement of Archaeological Resource by a federal grand jury in June of 2021. He pleaded guilty on October 7, 2022.

The conviction stems from Latinow carving into and damaging a Native American rock art panel, namely, archaeological site 39FA0677, in Red Canyon in the Black Hills National Forest. This location is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located on land under the control and management of the U.S. Forest Service.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Blair prosecuted the case.