Bill of
Rights Investigation Continues, Pratt's Roadshow Status on
'Wait and See'
WOODBURY, CONN. -- It has been just more than three weeks since
the FBI conducted a sting operation in Philadelphia and seized
one of the original 13 handwritten copies of the Bill of Rights
while it was in the process of being sold to the National
Constitution Center. This document, long-lost and claimed by the
State of North Carolina to be its property, was being sold by a
broker representing the owner, Wayne Pratt, well-known antiques
dealer with shops in both Woodbury and Nantucket.
Pratt still maintains that he is anxious to participate in an
open civil proceeding that will determine the rightful ownership
of the document. He has told Antiques and The Arts Weekly,
"I bought the Bill of Rights with an attorney present and paid
for it with a check. At no time was there ever any mention that
the document had been stolen."
Hugh Stevens, Pratt's attorney with Everett, Gaskins, Hancock and
Stevens in Raleigh, N.C., said "we were served papers on Thursday
and there is a civil proceeding geared to determine who has the
right to keep the property." He added "in our view there is no
basis to conduct a criminal investigation." At present, the Bill
of Rights is in the State of North Carolina, but in the
possession of the Unites States government.
Pratt has appeared on the last six seasons of PBS's Antiques
Roadshow. Following the announcement of the Bill of Rights
seizure, he has been suspended from future appearances "until
further notice." According to Judy Matthews of station WGBH, "as
long as Wayne is involved in this investigation, he will not be
invited to participate in the Antiques Roadshow." She
continued to say "the outcome of the legal matter could change
things, so it has become a wait and see situation." Appraisers
for the Roadshow are not employed by the station, but are
invited guests. The only requirement the station makes is for the
appraiser to sign off on guidelines set by the show for the
participants. The next season for the Roadshow does not
begin until July.
As Antiques and The Arts Weekly goes to press, no one has
been charged for any criminal offence and, according to Attorney
Stevens, "it is an ongoing investigation between Wayne Pratt and
the State of North Carolina to determine ownership."
