Fraud Friday: Banned for life from acquiring antiquities


An antiquities collector has been banned for life from acquiring antiquities after numerous pieces in his collection were determined to be stolen. An investigation into a statue stolen from Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War led authorities to the collector, and it was determined that 180 pieces worth $70 million in his possession were stolen or had other evidence of looting. The collector claims he had no idea the items were stolen. The lifetime ban was imposed in lieu of a criminal trial, and the collector has stated that he plans to recoup his losses from the antiquities dealers he was working with. (www.wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/billionare-michael-steinhardt-surrenders-70-million-stolen-antiquities)

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