MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man has been sentenced for excavating and removing archaeological resources in public lands in Madera County, says the United States Department of Justice Wednesday.

United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert says 35-year-old Vance Franklin Myers of Oakhurst was sentenced Wednesday by the United States District Judge Ana De Alba to three years probation and a $10,000 fine for unauthorized excavation and removal of archaeological resources from public lands.

According to court documents, Myers entered upon public lands in Madera County that were administered by the United States Forest Service and unlawfully excavated Native American cultural artifacts and Native American human remains.

Officials say the artifacts removed from the site included beads, manos, rosegates, and desert side notched points. This occurred between June 1 and Sept. 3, 2015.

DOJ says he is also banned from entering public lands for recreational purposes during the period of his probation.

The DOJ reminds citizens excavating, damaging, and removing archaeological resources from federal and Native American lands without proper authorization is a violation of Federal law.