Manhattan District’s Attorney’s office has seized 180 artifacts from a U.S. billionaire, Michael Steinhardt. Steinhartd agreed to surrender the trafficked items in lieu of prosecution after a four-year investigation.
Nine of the items have been returned to Jordan. According to AP, “The Jordanian Antiquities Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan held a ceremony in Jordan’s capital, Amman, on Tuesday showcasing the objects that were “illegally smuggled from Jordan and obtained by an antiquities collector in the United States,” the embassy said in a statement.”
“This is a testament to the United States’ commitment to help protect Jordan’s cultural heritage. With today’s repatriation of Jordanian antiquities, we are keeping this promise,” Ambassador Henry T. Wooster said.
