Current Events > Hobby Lobby might have funded terrorists by buying smuggled artifacts from Iraq.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/hobby-lobby-smuggled-thousands-of-ancient-artifacts-out-of-iraq/532743/

Hobby Lobby purchased thousands of ancient artifacts smuggled out of modern-day Iraq via the United Arab Emirates and Israel in 2010 and 2011, attorneys for the Eastern District of New York announced on Wednesday. As part of a settlement, the American craft-supply mega-chain will pay $3 million and the U.S. government will seize the illicit artifacts. Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves, yielding an incredible case name: The United States of America v. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient-Clay Bullae.

Under any circumstances, this case would be wild: It involves thousands of ancient artifacts that seem to have been stolen from Iraq, where the pillaging of antiquities has been rampant. The longstanding trade in antiquities of dubious provenance has become an especially sensitive topic in recent years, and a target of increased law-enforcement scrutiny: ISIS has made some untold millions—or billions—by selling ancient goods. While nothing in the case indicates that these objects were associated with any terrorist group, the very nature of smuggled goods means their provenance is muddy.

But the case really matters because of who’s involved. The members of the Green family, which owns the Hobby Lobby chain, are committed evangelical Christians who are probably most famous for their participation in a 2014 Supreme Court case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which helped dismantle certain birth-control-coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The Greens are big collectors of ancient antiquities; they’re also the primary visionaries and contributors behind the Museum of the Bible opening in Washington, D.C., this fall. Steve Green is the chairman of the board. The family’s famous name, now tied to a story of dealer intrigue and black markets, is likely to bring even further scrutiny and attention as they prepare to open their museum.
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But that person never actually stored anything for the third Israeli dealer, the complaint alleges, and Hobby Lobby never contacted the custodian. The company went forward with the sale, even though it had retained an antiquities expert who cautioned against the purchase. “I would regard the acquisition of any artifact likely from Iraq … as carrying considerable risk,” that expert wrote in a memorandum shared with the company’s in-house counsel, according to the complaint. “An estimated 200-500,000 objects have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq since the early 1990s; particularly popular on the market and likely to have been looted are cylinder seals, cuneiform tablets.” Cultural objects looted from Iraq since 1990 are protected by special import restrictions that carry criminal penalties and large fines, the expert added.

Hobby Lobby wired $1.6 million to seven different bank accounts associated with five different people to pay for the items. The artifacts were shipped to the United States in multiple packages falsely labeled “Tiles (Sample).” They were also sent to multiple locations. As the complaint notes, “The use of multiple shipping addresses for a single recipient is consistent with methods used by cultural property smugglers to avoid scrutiny by Customs.” On customs forms, the UAE dealer supplied false invoices that substantially undervalued the pieces, presumably as a way to avoid customs inspection.

Just light treason.
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The Religious Right!
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2017 wild
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They deserve more than a slap on the wrist.
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Important cultural artifact, apparently: https://img.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2017/07/bullae.jpg

Was Hobby Lobby trying to sell these? I seriously doubt someone would pay hobby-lobby prices for this: https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/mt/2017/07/Screen_Shot_2017_07_05_at_6.26.48_PM/lead_960.png
And if they did, how would it even be possible to track down every piece of priceless brick-a-brac lost in a box in the back of a garage?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Was Hobby Lobby trying to sell these?

Article notes that they are starting a Museum of the Bible this fall, which I assume was the intended end place for much of these artifacts.
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Antifar posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Was Hobby Lobby trying to sell these?

Article notes that they are starting a Museum of the Bible this fall, which I assume was the intended end place for much of these artifacts.

So... a Babylon exhibit?

At least they didn't do something really horrible like pay for birth control!
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billcom6 posted...

At least they didn't do something really horrible like pay for birth control!

They did pay for birth control. Their insurance plan covered a variety of birth control options.
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billcom6 posted...

At least they didn't do something really horrible like pay for birth control!

Not after wasting about $5 million on old clay globs that ended up confiscated to a government warehouse anyway.

Antifar posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves

why is this the case lol
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kirbymuncher posted...

Antifar posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves

why is this the case lol

They're illegal immigrants, more or less.

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves, yielding an incredible case name: The United States of America v. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient-Clay Bullae.

I don't understand this part
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Questionmarktarius posted...

kirbymuncher posted...

Antifar posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves

why is this the case lol

They're illegal immigrants, more or less.

Deport them! Toss them over the wall!
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This is why when you import from the Middle East, check the seller, there are lots of shady sellers over there and you might end up with a blood artifact on accident.
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eston posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves, yielding an incredible case name: The United States of America v. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient-Clay Bullae.

I don't understand this part

It's probably because objects have less rights than people.
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Hop103 posted...

This is why when you import from the Middle East, check the seller, there are lots of shady sellers over there and you might end up with a blood artifact on accident.

Seems like an expert warned them about the dubious origin and they went through with it anyway.
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corporations tolerating human right abuses to make a buck, is it a day that ends in y?
I'm so glad that they have a greatly expanded role in American politics in this administration though
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eston posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves, yielding an incredible case name: The United States of America v. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient-Clay Bullae.

I don't understand this part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks

Law is an interesting thing...
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man this was a crazy story #tbt
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IIRC this isn't the first time they've done something like this, but this is the first time they went ahead on a purchase deal that had a ton of red flags against the advice of their lawyers that these artifacts were not legit (in the sense that the people selling them did not have proper POA to sell them).
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The Deadpool posted...

eston posted...

Technically, the defendants in the civil-forfeiture action are the objects themselves, yielding an incredible case name: The United States of America v. Approximately Four Hundred Fifty (450) Ancient Cuneiform Tablets; and Approximately Three Thousand (3,000) Ancient-Clay Bullae.

I don't understand this part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEpZWGgJks

Law is an interesting thing...

Seems stupid. So since this is a civil case, defendants can be called upon to testify against themselves--so can the plaintiff call on the objects to testify, and then have them arrested when they don't?
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