Indicted museum director found dead at WA federal prison

The director of a Thailand museum who was indicted as part of a federal investigation into looted antiquities has been found dead at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac -- apparently from natural causes.

Roxanna Brown, a 62-year-old U.S. citizen, passed away sometime around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Prison spokeswoman Maggie Ogden says an autopsy will be performed.

Brown was the director of the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum at Bangkok University in Thailand. She was arrested last week while visiting relatives in Seattle and charged with one count of wire fraud. Health problems prevented her from appearing in federal court in Seattle on Monday.

She was accused of allowing art collectors to use her electronic signature to overstate the value of art they donated to several Southern California museums. Investigators say that allowed the collectors to claim fraudulent tax deductions.