Subscribe:
RSS feed
A legal resource for cultural property, archaeology, and art law enthusiasts.
Browsing All Posts filed under »Criminal prosecutions«
Hit ‘Em Where it Hurts: Trend of Increased Penalties for Antiquities Smuggling Continues
Azerbaijan has increased their protection of cultural property by way of increased penalties for illegal exporting of protected cultural materials. Azernews explains: According to the changes, illegal export of Azerbaijani cultural heritage samples included in the list of cultural values will be punishable by a fine worth 1,500 manats for individuals, 3,000 manats for officials […]
Nicholas Cage on the Hot Seat for Smuggled T-Rex Fossil?
November 6, 2013
In 2007, Nicholas Cage outbid fellow actor Leonardo Dicaprio for a 67-million-year-old skull of a Tyrannosaurus bataar, a close relative of the T. rex, paying $US276,000 for what he called “a ferocious-looking addition to his fossil collection.” Now, this fossil may be one of those that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aims to seize as […]
Costa Rican Archaeologist with Dodgy History Acquitted of Smuggling
October 24, 2013
Costa Rican citizen and Munich resident Leonard Patterson has been acquitted of charges of attempting to smuggle 1,400 pieces of pre-Columbian art from Spain to Germany. The Latin-American Herald Tribune report is reproduced below, although the Spanish website El Universal has a much more detailed (and interesting) version of the story. Of particular interest are […]
Roman Bust Stolen from Church in Spain Resurfaces
July 29, 2013
The Art Newspaper reports — A fourth century bust of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, stolen from a small church in the north west of Spain, has been recovered by the Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police force has announced. Six people have been detained after an operation that focused on Seville in the south. Climbing […]
How to Move $8 Million Into the United States Under the Radar and Tax-Free? ART!
May 16, 2013
This story is a fantastic example of how art is used to launder money (like, for real, not just in hysterical art crime rhetoric): According to the air bill slapped on the crate that arrived at Kennedy International Airport from London, an unnamed painting worth $100 was inside. Only later did federal investigators discover that […]
Mayan Pyramid Bulldozed to Extract Crushed Rock
May 15, 2013
New York Daily News reports: A construction company has essentially destroyed one of Belize’s largest Mayan pyramids with backhoes and bulldozers to extract crushed rock for a road-building project, authorities announced on Monday. The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said the destruction at the Nohmul complex in northern Belize was detected […]
Honduras to Enact Minimum Sentences for Cultural Heritage Crimes
February 4, 2013
Those who are convicted of committing crimes against cultural heritage in Honduras will soon be facing a mandatory sentencing scheme. The Honduran Congress is expected to establish mandatory sentences, which will be the first of their kind, in 2013. According to authorities, there have been 304 cases of cultural property theft in Honduras from 2001 […]
Reports from Down Under on More of Kapoor’s Looted Indian Antiquities
September 3, 2012
Subhash Kapoor, an Indian-born, New York-based art dealer has been making headlines since his detention in Indian on allegations of illicit antiquities trafficking. Galleries and museums worldwide are examining their collections to see what they may have purchased that went through Kapoor’s business. We recently reported that an art gallery in New York City had […]
(Another) Reputable New York Dealer Busted for Trading in Looted Antiquities… $20 million worth.
August 15, 2012
Artinfo reports: Two weeks ago, federal authorities broke open a Manhattan storage unit to discover $20 million worth of allegedly looted ancient bronze and sandstone statues. The cache of suspicious treasure belongs to Subhash Kapoor, an Indian-born, New York-based art dealer who has sold and donated hundreds of Indian antiquities to museums around the world […]
FBI Uses Ground Penetrating Radar to Search for Gardner Paintings
May 15, 2012
The FBI has obtained a permit to use ground penetrating radar to re-search the property of alleged mobster Robert Gentile. The 75-year-old has been held since February on federal drug and weapons charges. The warrant was issued on the premise that the FBI may find buried weapons, but Gentile’s lawyer, A. Ryan McGuigan, believes the […]
Related Reading
Cultural Property & Archaeology Law 
November 13, 2013
0