US retailer to forfeit ancient Iraqi artefacts in settlement with Justice Dept.
Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has agreed to forfeit thousands of illegally smuggled ancient Middle Eastern artifacts obtained from antiquities dealers, the company and U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Cuneiform tablet, one of several artifacts smuggled from Iraq by owners of Hobby Lobby, according to a civil complaint filed on Wednesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. Under an agreement with the federal government, the company consented to return some of the items and improve the way its collects antiquities [Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York] The forfeiture will include some 5,500 artifacts purchased by Hobby Lobby Inc that originated from the region of modern-day Iraq and were shipped under false labels, as well as an additional $3 million to settle the civil charges, the Department of Justice said in a statement. "The protection of cultural heritage is a mission that (Homeland Security Investigations) and its partner U.S. Cus