: - Wayne Pratt, one of the nation's leading antiques dealers, who
was caught up in the events surrounding ownership of an original
copy of the Bill of Rights, has been cleared of any charges of
wrong-doing by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of North
Carolina.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr, assistant US attorney and chief of the
District's Criminal Division, said that the evidence made
available to him as a result of Mr Pratt's cooperation with the
US Attorney's office indicated that Mr Pratt should not be a
target of any investigation.
The Bill of Rights copy, one of 14 commissioned by George
Washington in 1789, was taken from North Carolina at the
conclusion of the Civil War in 1865. Recently, it came into Mr
Pratt's possession, and has been returned to North Carolina.
Mr Pratt, of Woodbury, Conn., issued the following statement:
"I am satisfied and relieved with the outcome of this matter. It
was my goal from the beginning to have this critical piece of
America's heritage go to a public institution. As it has recently
been determined that this particular document was the one that
was originally sent to North Carolina, the transfer of the
document to this state is all the more appropriate. I am both
relieved and thankful to the US Attorney for his professionalism
and that of his office."
Mr Pratt's attorney, Thomas E. Dwyer, Jr, issued the following
statement:
"We are delighted with this outcome, which flows from the
seamless cooperation between my client and the US Attorney's
office. I have felt all along that when the US Attorney had all
the facts he would exonerate Mr Pratt. I wish to thank US
Attorney Frank D. Whitney for the professionalism he and his
entire office have demonstrated in this matter."
Wayne E. Pratt, president and sole owner of Wayne Pratt, Inc, is
a leading expert in American furniture and decorative arts.
