'Roadshow' Dealers Accused

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/11/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

Antiques dealers Russell Pritchard III, 37, and George Juno, 40, have been charged with fraud in which, according to prosecutors, they staged on-air appraisals for the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow" in order to lure and cheat customers, reports The New York Times. A federal grand jury late last week accused the two men of falsifying the televised appraisals by arranging for friends to show up at some 1996 tapings with swords that had been provided beforehand. The men are also accused of defrauding the two owners of Civil War artifacts by buying the items for far less than their fair value price and then selling them off for big money. Lawyers for Pritchard and Juno maintain the innocence of their clients, says The Times.