A man from Palmdale, Los Angeles County, was recently sentenced to three months in federal prison for illegally importing a one-ton ancient mosaic and using fake documents to evade import taxes. The mosaic depicts figures from ancient Roman mythology such as Hercules and dates back to the 3rd or 4th century during the Roman Empire.
According to City News Service (CNS), a jury ruled in June last year that 57-year-old Yassin Alcharihi committed the crime of falsely classifying imported goods. On Thursday, August 29, United States District Judge George W. Hu sentenced him to jail and approved the government’s preliminary seizure order for the artifact.
Federal prosecutors stated that the 18-foot long, 8-foot high mosaic was looted from war-torn Syria and smuggled into the United States through Turkey. Alcharihi falsely reported its value and classification as part of a larger shipment that arrived at the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles.
During the five-day trial, the jury in the basement of the Los Angeles federal court viewed the ancient artifact. Government experts assessed its value at $450,000.
Alcharihi purchased the mosaic in 2015 for $12,000 and later spent $40,000 on restoration. According to prosecutors, he did not disclose importing Syrian artifacts to U.S. customs officials but falsely claimed they were Turkish ceramic tiles worth less than $600. This occurred a few months after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning the destruction of Syrian cultural heritage.
At that time, the mosaic was stored inside a large metal shipping container with many vases and two other mosaics. Prosecutors stated that X-ray images taken by customs officials revealed the mosaic hidden in the front of the container, away from the rear entrance, concealed behind a pile of vases; after clearing customs, it was trucked to the defendant’s residence.
Since federal agents discovered this artifact in the defendant’s garage seven years ago, it has been kept in secure facilities in Los Angeles. A government spokesperson previously mentioned that it may be returned to Syria. ◇