Asian Antiquities Expert Dies in Federal Custody

SEATAC, Wash.—Roxanna Brown, the Asian antiquities expert recently indicted on charges of federal wire fraud, died of an apparent heart attack at a federal detention center yesterday, the Seattle Times reports. Brown, 62, was the director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University in Thailand and had been visiting Seattle for a scheduled talk at the University of Washington when she was arrested for allegedly allowing her electronic signature to be used on inflated appraisal forms for Southeast Asian antiquities.

Brown's initial court appearance, scheduled for Monday, was postponed due to illness; she was suffering from flulike symptoms. She did appear before a U.S. magistrate on Tuesday and was scheduled for another hearing on Wednesday.

Brown was the only person arrested in the fraud scheme thus far.