Dealers and others have been subpoenaed about the problems at the GIA lab, GIA chairman Ralph Destino said recently—signaling that law enforcement is taking a more active role in the issue.

But Destino stressed he didn’t know if that meant there was a full-blown investigation.

“They did subpoena some people for information,” Destino said. “But a subpoena is just a demand for information. It sounds sorts of threatening and heavy, but it’s really fact-finding. They haven’t indicated to us what they are going to do with the facts they’ve gathered. The question is whether they are going to indict anyone, and we just don’t know.”

Destino noted GIA has turned whatever information it has over to the authorities.

Legal experts noted it would be highly unusual for the authorities to not at least look into the story, given the publicity it has raised.

JCK