One of the Greatest Antique Collectors, Michael Steinhardt, has delivered to New York authorities 180 pieces stolen valued in about 70 million dollars after a multi-year multinational research, The Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office reported this Monday.
“For decades, Michael Steinhardt displayed a predatory appetite for looted artifacts without worrying about the legality of your actions, the legitimacy of the pieces he bought and sold, or the serious cultural damage it caused around the world, “Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said in a statement.
The 180 pieces delivered, specifies the text, were trafficked from 11 different countries (Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Turkey) and passed through the hands of 12 criminal syndicates.
As a result of an agreement reached with Steinhardt, the 180 pieces They will be returned to their countries of origin immediately, while a lifetime ban on buying antiques has been imposed on the collector.
Is the this type of prohibitive measure has been imposed for the first time, says the letter from the Prosecutor’s Office, which does not mention any other type of legal consequence for the alleged offender.
Returned to their owners
“This agreement guarantees that the 180 pieces are promptly returned to their rightful owners rather than being withheld as evidence for the years it would take to complete a grand jury indictment, trial, potential conviction, and sentencing, “Vance said in the statement.
The pact also allows protect the identity of several of the witnesses who have participated in the investigations, in addition to parallel investigations that are being carried out in other cases.
Related news
The Steinhardt investigation began in February 2017, with the theft of a bull head of Lebanon during the country’s civil war, which eventually led to the analysis of transactions of more than 1,000 antiquities since 1987.
Among the returned pieces is a rhyton – a container used in ancient times for drinking – with a deer head that is estimated to date from 400 BC and that is believed to have been stolen after an important looting in Milas (Turkey), valued by experts at about $ 3.5 million today.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com