[quote]
According to the complaint and stipulated statement of facts filed with the court, in or around 2009, Hobby Lobby began to assemble a collection of historically significant manuscripts, antiquities and other cultural materials. In connection with this effort, Hobby Lobby’s president and a consultant traveled to the UAE in July 2010 to inspect a large number of cuneiform tablets and other antiquities being offered for sale (the “Artifacts”). Cuneiform is an ancient system of writing on clay tablets that was used in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago.
In October 2010, an expert on cultural property law retained by Hobby Lobby warned the company that the acquisition of cultural property likely from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, carries a risk that such objects may have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq. The expert also advised Hobby Lobby to review its collection of antiquities for any objects of Iraqi origin and to verify that their country of origin was properly declared at the time of importation into the United States. The expert warned Hobby Lobby that an improper declaration of country of origin for cultural property could lead to seizure and forfeiture of the artifacts by CBP.
Notwithstanding these warnings, in December 2010, Hobby Lobby executed an agreement to purchase over 5,500 Artifacts, comprised of cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals, for $1.6 million. The acquisition of the Artifacts was fraught with red flags. For example, Hobby Lobby received conflicting information where the Artifacts had been stored prior to the inspection in the UAE. Further, when the Artifacts were presented for inspection to Hobby Lobby’s president and consultant in July 2010, they were displayed informally. In addition, Hobby Lobby representatives had not met or communicated with the dealer who purportedly owned the Artifacts, nor did they pay him for the Artifacts. Rather, following instructions from another dealer, Hobby Lobby wired payment for the Artifacts to seven personal bank accounts held in the names of other individuals.
With Hobby Lobby’s consent, a UAE-based dealer shipped packages containing the Artifacts to three different corporate addresses in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Between one and three shipments arrived at a time, without the required customs entry documentation being filed with CBP, and bore shipping labels that falsely and misleadingly described their contents as “ceramic tiles” or “clay tiles (sample).”[/quote]
The arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby will pay $3 million to settle a federal case over smuggled Iraqi antiquities it bought to demonstrate its “passion for the Bible.”
Well sure, I’m just saying I’d rather ISIS sold priceless ancient artifacts given that their other position seems to be utterly destroy them forever. It’s like being given the option of burning the Louvre to the ground with everything inside or stealing all the artwork and selling it. I’d rather it be stolen since we can potentially recover it at some point.
It was stolen then sold to fund the means to slaughter people, in mass, as opposed to some thief in the night showing up to get rich off things that didn’t belong to them.That’s the suggestion. not sure if it’s proven.
Also, none of these assholes are in jail, it was a fine.
You just know that if they hadn’t been busted, all the manifests would have been accidentally entered into the corporate inventory database by some shipping clerk somewhere and ancient Iraqi cuneiform tablets would have been on sale at a Hobby Lobby in Topeka as “Decorative Ceramic Tiles - 50% off - Only $4.99 each!”.
Jokes aside, it is somewhat of a shame that the story is “Hobby Lobby” is doing this awful thing, rather than the “owners of Hobbly Lobby” are doing this awful thing. Because now you’re going to have people berating, and I’m sure in many cases verbally abusing, the poor, minimum wage shnooks who work at the stores.