Raided

Federal investigators raided the Pacific Asia Museum this morning and are still there -- we'll have something online shortly.

Federal agents raid Pasadena museum

PASADENA - Federal agents raided the Pacific Asia Museum this morning as part of a multi-year investigation into illegal smuggling of southeast Asian and Native American artifacts.

Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service and the National Park Service spent the morning rummaging behind the red iron museum's doors, as employees and visitors watched outside.

According to a search warrant, the museum accepted stolen Thai archaeological resources and conspired to falsify tax returns in November 2005.

Employees showing up for work this morning said they did not know what was going on. One employee said she thought all the commotion was from people waiting for a tour.

"We're as interested in knowing the answers as the IRS is," Museum Director Joan Marshall said. "We're cooperating and we're happy to do that."

Photo by Raul Roa, staff photographer: An Immigration & Customs Enforcement special agent, left, and an Internal Revenue Service agent, center, stand in front of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena on Thursday as an employee enters the building. The officers executed a federal search warrant at the museum.