A Santa Fe resident, Jesse Foster, has been sentenced to six months of probation for vandalizing ancient petroglyphs at the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Area near Santa Fe. The court also ordered him to pay $1,996.44 in restitution and perform 50 hours of community service with an organization focused on public lands and cultural conservation. Additionally, he must complete 48 hours of service with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as in-kind restitution.
Court documents reveal that on October 19, 2022, Foster spray-painted several areas around the petroglyphs, which hold significant cultural importance for the Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblos and date back from the 13th to the 17th century.
Foster pleaded guilty to damaging or defacing archaeological resources on September 27, 2024. His sentence includes a total of 98 hours of community service—48 hours benefiting the Bureau of Land Management and another 50 hours dedicated to public lands and cultural conservation efforts.
The U.S. Attorney's Office and Bureau of Land Management emphasized that Foster's plea agreement considered his lack of involvement in a previous vandalism incident at the site. Instead, his graffiti was intended as a less-offensive counterbalance to earlier damage.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Josiah Andrews, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Land Management, announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Land Management's Office of Law Enforcement and Security, Region 5, with support from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tavo Hall prosecuted the case.