The United States government has obtained a default judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, finalizing the forfeiture of 14 ancient Egyptian artifacts that were illegally smuggled into the country.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the court’s decision alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore and Stephen Maloney, Executive Director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) National Targeting Center.
The seized items include amulets, stone figurines, a vase, and an “Old Kingdom Limestone Funerary Statue.” The statue is valued at about $6 million and is believed to have originated from archaeological sites in Saqqara or Giza near Memphis in present-day Egypt. CBP officers found these artifacts at several international airports while they were being shipped to private collectors in the United States.
According to the government’s complaint, between August 2020 and April 2021, CBP identified these artifacts during inspections of parcels arriving from overseas through airports in Anchorage, Cincinnati, and New York City. At least one shipment was headed to a private collector in Edgewater, Maryland.
Authorities reported that shipping documents misrepresented the contents as “home décor,” “stone garden statue,” or “decoration,” omitting their true origin and value. Historians and antique appraisers later confirmed that these were authentic ancient Egyptian artifacts. In similar situations, the Justice Department has worked with other countries to return such items to their rightful owners.
“This litigation highlights one of the benefits of civil asset forfeiture and is an important milestone toward eliminating smuggled cultural property from the U.S. art market,” Hayes said. “This office is committed to combating the black-market sale of cultural property and the smuggling of ancient artifacts, and will use all available tools, including asset forfeiture, to disrupt illicit trade in antiquities.”
“These ancient artifacts are more than just relics of the past; they are irreplaceable pieces of global cultural heritage that tell the story of human civilization,” Campanella said. “The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history. HSI remains steadfast in its commitment to working alongside our partners to ensure that those who seek to profit from the exploitation of cultural heritage are held accountable. By recovering these artifacts, we’ve helped preserve priceless pieces of history and reaffirmed our commitment to protecting the world’s shared heritage for generations to come.”
“This case exemplifies the fine work of the women and men of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our National Targeting Center in identifying and dismantling illicit networks that exploit global trade routes,” Maloney said. “The recovery of this ancient Egyptian statue, valued at $6 million, underscores CBP’s commitment to protecting cultural heritage and, working collaboratively with our partners, to identify those who seek to profit from theft and smuggling.”
U.S. Attorney Hayes acknowledged HSI’s Cultural Property, Art and Antiquities Unit for its investigation as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven T. Brantley, law clerk Amy Rappole, and paralegal Nicole Orlovitz for their support.
More information about resources offered by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/ as well as https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
