The Artifacts Are Finally Headed Home
Hobby Lobby has been in the news, and it’s not for fun arts and crafts reasons. Hobby Lobby reportedly purchased thousands of smuggled ancient Iraqi artifacts in 2010 from dealers in the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Now the retailer is returning them following a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. The company has to pay a $3 million fine and return the smuggled goods. The artifacts being returned include cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals and clay bullae, ICE said.
This didn’t just come to the light, though. This move happened after the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with the Justice Department brought a civil action against the retailer last year. The reason? Hobby Lobby labeled Iraqi artifacts from a United Arab Emirates-based supplier. In July of last year, the company agreed to forfeit what was stolen and pay the $3 million fine to resolve the action. The age of some of these artifacts is rather astonishing. Some ranged back to 2100 to 1600 BC, with other artifacts possibly being 500 years older.
CNN reports that, according to the DOJ, “the dealers working with Hobby Lobby falsely labeled the shipments as ‘ceramics’ and ‘samples’ and illegally shipped them to Hobby Lobby stores and two corporate offices.”
-
A transformative partnership to boost biodiversity, resilience, and gender equality in the face of climate change. The Philippines, in...
-
Claims by the ‘Crimea Combat Seagulls’ of poisoning two dozen Russian soldiers raise questions, prompting scrutiny and calls for...
-
According to the latest annual report from the Tokyo metropolitan government, Tokyo finds itself at the bottom of Japan’s...
-
A revealing look at the tensions, beliefs, and family dynamics within the British royal family In his latest book,...
-
A single-engine aircraft en route from the Czech Republic to Croatia crashes in western Austria, prompting an investigation into...
-
Historic Bust: Massive Counterfeit Coin Operation Exposed, Unveiling Unprecedented Scale of Fake Toonies in Canada. In a groundbreaking development,...
-
Global leaders from BRICS urge restraint, humanitarian truce, and diplomatic solutions to quell the Israel-Hamas tensions. In a landmark...
-
Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls for de-escalation as fighting displaces millions and raises concerns for upcoming Congo elections....
-
The government is taking action to stop the spread of the bloodsucking pests. The South Korean government has launched...
-
Landmark ruling highlights ongoing tax challenges for short-term rental platforms in Italy In a significant development, an Italian judge...
-
Deportation Deadline Sparks Humanitarian Worries in Pakistan Pakistan’s government announced on Monday that almost 200,000 Afghan nationals have voluntarily...
-
Lessons Learned Shape Taiwan’s Preparedness in a Changing World Taiwan’s military has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to strengthen...