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.”
-
Australian dollars will feature indigenous images in the future. Earlier this week, Australia’s Reserve Bank announced that, at an...
-
French nun Sister André passed away this week. This week, the oldest living person in the world passed away...
-
Online harassment is now punishable with jail time or fines. Recently, Japan’s parliament passed new legislation that imposes stiffer...
-
The systems will aid Ukraine in fending off Russian missile attacks. For multiple months now, Ukraine has been requesting...
-
Authorities are out in force in an effort to quash ongoing protests. Since this past weekend, Chinese citizens have...
-
After a fierce counteroffensive, the Russian troops have been driven from the city. For months now, the Ukrainian city...
-
Ukrainian authorities have expressed concern about the country’s power grid for the winter. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion...
-
Factories and agriculture have been impacted by the heat. Many of China’s provinces are currently in the midst of...
-
The protestors spoke out against the new military draft. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial...
-
Truss has taken the reins from Boris Johnson. After a monthlong period of no concrete leadership following the departure...
-
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that a single misunderstanding could be catastrophic. Earlier this week, the United Nations held a...
-
Authorities have declared the extreme heat as a “national emergency.” Territories across western Europe, as well as nearby countries...