Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Federal agents conducted searches in Chicago last week as part of an investigation of smuggling of Southeast Asian art that also included raids on four museums and a gallery in Southern California.

An affidavit filed in federal court in Chicago by an agent with the Department of Homeland Security refers to an investigation of ``Individual A,'' a major collector of Ban Chiang, Khmer and Chinese archaeological objects, and ``Individual B,'' the collector's primary supplier, who imports artifacts into the U.S. from Thailand and Cambodia.

The searches in Chicago were conducted simultaneously with the California raids on museums and a dealer in Southeast Asian art, said Tom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, in a telephone interview. He wouldn't identify the targets of the investigation in Chicago.

Mrozek wouldn't comment on why the museums were raided rather than subpoenaed for evidence, though he said investigators were always alert to the risk that evidence might disappear.

``In an electronic age, there's always a risk that computer evidence might disappear,'' Mrozek said. ``People can erase hard disks or computers can walk out.''

Asian Artifacts Seized

The individuals in Chicago may be Robert Olson, an alleged smuggler, and Barry MacLean, a collector and a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles Times reported today, citing Olson and two unnamed persons. U.S. agents seized Cambodian daggers, Thai artifacts and records from MacLean's private museum and warehouse outside Chicago as their investigation into looted Asian antiquities spread beyond California, the paper said.

MacLean is president and chief executive officer of MacLean- Fogg Co., a maker of metal products and fasteners in Mundelein, Illinois. In the affidavit, Individual A is president of a diversified manufacturing company in Mundelein.

MacLean wasn't immediately available for comment, according to a woman who answered the phone at the company. Olson, who is described in California court documents as an illicit importer of Asian art, couldn't be reached.

Last week, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art said it was cooperating with federal agents investigating the origins of Southeast Asian objects given to the museum by longtime donors Jonathan and Cari Markell.

Jonathan Markell, reached at home by telephone, said ``I'm sorry, we're not able to talk about it.''

At the Art Institute of Chicago, spokeswoman Erin Hogan said the museum hasn't ``been contacted by any federal agents whatsoever. We have no objects in our collections from MacLean.''

Museum Investigations

The L.A. County Museum and other California institutions, including Pasadena's Pacific Asia Museum, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and Mingei International Museum in San Diego, were searched last week by federal agents who are looking into how certain collectors imported, purchased or donated Southeast Asian art, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles federal court in support of the warrants.

The warrants describe meetings and deals between undercover agents and suppliers, including purchases of looted antiquities and inflated appraisals of objects that were used by museum donors to obtain fraudulent tax write-offs.

The Pacific Asia Museum said yesterday that it began an internal investigation into objects donated to the museum. The L.A. County Museum also is looking into gifts of art.

To contact the reporter on this story: Linda Sandler in New York at lsandler@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 29, 2008 16:53 EST