Blanding resident Jeanne Redd, perhaps the highest-profile defendant in the federal crackdown on illegal trafficking in ancient artifacts, has been scheduled to appear in court Monday to change her "not guilty" plea.

During such hearings, defendants typically admit guilt under a deal with prosecutors. The hearing will be before U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups.

A plea change would be the first major law-enforcement development after the June 10 federal sweep netted 24 Utah, Colorado and New Mexico residents accused of illegal trafficking in artifacts from the Four Corners region.

All were accused of stealing or selling American Indian artifacts including pots, figurines, necklaces, sandals, blankets and seed jars. The indictments listed a total of more than 115 felonies and a handful of misdemeanors.

Redd, 59, was arrested along with her husband, James Redd, 60, at their Blanding home. She was charged with seven felonies: two counts of violating the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act; two counts of theft of government property; and three counts of theft of Indian tribal property.

James Redd was charged with one felony count of theft of tribal property.

Both Redds pleaded not guilty during their initial appearance the day of the raid. James Redd killed himself the next day in his Jeep parked by a pond on his property. He died of carbon-monoxide poisoning.

A week later, another defendant, Steven Shrader, 56, Santa Fe, N.M., shot himself to death in Shabbona, Ill.

Neither of Jeanne Redd's attorneys -- Rod Snow of Denver and Mark Moffat of Salt Lake City -- could be reached Thursday. Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman, declined to comment on the hearing.

The busts drew criticism from many Blanding residents and San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy, whose brother is one of the defendants. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett also questioned what they described as "heavy-handed" law-enforcement conduct.

Tolman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Fuhrman countered that intelligence gathered during the 2 1/2-year antiquities investigation indicated many of the defendants had access to guns. They said one suspect told an undercover operative -- identified only as the "Source" -- that if caught with artifacts, he would shoot it out with authorities rather than go to jail.

A search warrant affidavit unsealed last week includes grainy copies of undercover photos taken in the Redd home during the investigation .

One of the photos shows pots, blankets and other relics piled atop one another in display cases and shelves. Another depicts Jeanne Redd kneeling on the floor showing a ceramic mug to an unidentified man whose face is hidden.

The Redd affidavit says some of the mugs and necklaces -- along with the four sandals she showed or sold -- came from Indian lands, including the Floating House Ruin in Chinle Wash -- which mystery writer Tony Hillerman called Many Ruins Canyon in his novel A Thief of Time .

During multiple visits the Source made to the Redd home in 2007, the affidavit says, Jeanne Redd traded some artifacts for buttons, purportedly from Dark Canyon. She tried to sell for $4,000 a gourd containing a 13-inch shell necklace on its original string.

The Redds have a history of running afoul with the law. In 2003, they agreed to pay the state $10,000 after they were prosecuted criminally for raiding a burial site to settle a $250,000 lawsuit filed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration.

Jeanne Redd pleaded no contest to a reduced charge. Charges against her husband eventually were dropped.