Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi, 57, of Palmdale, California, has been sentenced to three months in federal prison for illegally importing a nearly 2,000-year-old floor mosaic from Syria.
The mosaic, depicting the Roman demigod Hercules rescuing Prometheus, is valued at $450,000.
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Alcharihi was found guilty of falsely classifying the mosaic as ceramic tiles worth less than $600 to avoid paying proper customs duties.
In August 2015, Alcharihi illegally imported the mosaic—which dates from the era of the Roman Empire—by falsely classifying it according to its value and quality. The mosaic arrived at Alcharihi’s direction at the Port of Long Beach as part of a shipment from Turkey.
The mosaic depicts a story from ancient Greek and Roman mythology depicting Hercules rescuing Prometheus, who had been chained to a rock by his fellow gods for stealing fire for humanity.
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Alcharihi purchased the mosaic in 2015. Instead of disclosing to United States customs officials that he was importing a Syrian antiquity for which he had paid approximately $12,000 and that he knew was worth much more, Alcharihi lied to his customs broker and caused it to falsely declare that he was importing ceramic tiles from Turkey valued at less than $600. Alcharihi paid $40,000 to restore the mosaic and the government’s appraisal expert valued the mosaic at $450,000.
The false classifications occurred months after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria, particularly by the terrorist organizations Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusrah Front.
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The mosaic was placed inside a large metal shipping container holding many vases and two other mosaics. An X-ray image of the container taken by CBP showed that the mosaic was hidden in the front of the container—away from the rear access doors—behind a pile of vases. After passing through customs, the mosaic was shipped via truck to Alcharihi’s home.
The mosaic is 15 feet long, 8 feet tall, and weighs approximately 2,000 pounds. Federal agents seized it from Alcharihi’s garage in March 2016 and stored it at a secure facility in Los Angeles.
The FBI’s Art Crime Team and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, leading to Alcharihi’s conviction and the forfeiture of the mosaic.
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