California Man Gets 3 Months in Prison for Illegally Importing Syrian Artifact
California man Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was sentenced on Aug. 29 to three months in prison for illegally importing an "ancient floor mosaic from Syria depicting the Roman demigod Hercules," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. Alcharihi was found guilty in June 2023 after a five-day trial of one count of entry of falsely classified imports.
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In 2015, the California man illicitly entered the mosaic via a "false classification as to its value and quantity," importing the good at the Port of Long Beach from Turkey. Alcharihi bought the mosaic in 2015 for around $12,000 but told his customs broker he was importing ceramic tiles from Turkey worth less than $600. After spending $40,000 to restore the mosaic, the U.S., using an "appraisal expert," valued the mosaic at $450,000.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the good was illicitly imported months after the UN Security Council "adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria. In addition to sentencing Alcharihi to three months in prison, the California court granted the government's bid for a preliminary order of forfeiture for the mosaic.