A Palmdale man was convicted by a federal jury for illegally importing a nearly 2,000-year-old ancient Roman floor mosaic from Syria into the United States.
A Palmdale man was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday of illegally importing a nearly 2,000-year-old ancient Roman floor mosaic from Syria into the United States., 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi purchased the 15-by-8 foot mosaic from Turkey in 2015.
Prosecutors claimed he paid $12,000 for the piece and did not correctly classify the artwork. Instead, the case alleges that Alcharihi lied to his customs broker, saying he was importing ceramic tiles valued at less than $600.Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox.
Upon its purchase by Alcharihi, the mosaic was smuggled inside a shipping container holding many vases and two other mosaics. An x-ray image of the container taken by US Customs showed the mosaic was hidden away from the container doors behind a pile of vases.Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
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