GEORGE PICKETT DEMANDS RETURN OF STOLEN ANTIQUES POSSESSED BY HARRISBURG MUSEUM

George E. Pickett V     email: pickettgev@att.net                                                            P.O.BOX 952    
                                                                            Wrightsville Beach
Phone: 910-395-4431                                              North Carolina, 28480   
PRESS RELEASE       
Friday July 13, 2001

George E. Pickett, V, great-great grandson of Confederate General George E. Pickett
who led the famous charge at Gettysburg has demanded, once again, that the Harrisburg Museum
return antique relics in their possession purchased by the Mayor from criminals who robbed and
defrauded Mr Pickett of his property. The museum has thus far refused to return Mr. Pickett's
stolen property to him claiming they paid a good-faith fair market price for the relics when they
purchased them from criminals Russ Pritchard, III and George Juno of the AOPA, "independent
contractors" for the City of Harrisburg.

George Pickett received a letter of endorsement from Mayor Stephen Reed of Harrisburg
naming Russell A. Pritchard, III of the AOPA on September 18, 1995 "an official representative
of the City of Harrisburg" but not disclosing that he was actually an independent contractor.
   
George Pickett stated, "I did not find out until the trial that Mayor Reed weaseled out of
any responsibility by claiming that Russ Pritchard was an independent contractor. I never
imagined the Mayor would endorse a con-artist as ‘official representative', fail to disclose
he was an independant contractor, tell him where we lived, contract with him to seek me
out, agree to the use of a sales psychologist to manipulate me, pay the criminals good
money for the stolen property, and then claim he gets to keep my property because he did
not know it was stolen and Russ Pritchard was not his employee . It offends my sense of fair
play and justice. The Mayor needs to learn that possession of stolen property is still a crime
and fraud is still a crime. This is a classic example of fraudulent misrepresentation."
   
George Pickett won a Federal Civil Jury Verdict in 1998 for $800,000 against Russ
Pritchard and the AOPA. The jury further determined that while Russ Pritchard committed the
theft and theft by deception (fraud), he was actually an independant contractor of the City of
Harrisburg not an agent. This detail, the Mayor claims, gets him off the hook and lets him keep
Pickett's stolen property.
   
However, now that Russ Pritchard and George Juno have been indicted by a Federal
Grand Jury and charged Federally with these crimes it appears to cast a whole new light upon the
Mayor's claim to keep Pickett's stolen property. The original indictment in March of 2001 gives a
glimpse into the criminal intent of this pair. Once George Juno pled guilty and agreed to testify
against his partners, the flood gates opened and the Superceeding Indictments are filled with the
stories of many other victims. "Juno's guilty plea proves it was a crime," George Pickett said.
   
George Pickett is considering additional legal action against the City and the Mayor who
continue to refuse to return the antiques and have also defied the Jury Verdict concerning
exclusive copyright awarded to Mr Pickett. "They stole 17 rolls of film from me after letting me
photograph the documents. It is outrageous behavior from a public official," he said.

Mayor Stephen Reed 717-255-6595               George Hicks (717) 260-1861 Museum Director
               



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