Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal

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One of the ancient clay tablets showing Cuneiform script which Hobby Lobby smuggled

The Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal is the series of events starting in 2009 when representatives of Hobby Lobby received a large number of clay bulla and tablets. Internal staff had warned superiors that the items had dubious provenance and were potentially stolen. In 2017 the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York directed Hobby Lobby to return the artifacts and pay a fine of US$3,000,000. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned 3800 items seized from Hobby Lobby to Iraq in May 2018[1].

Illegal importation of cultural property[edit]

United States versus Approximately 450 Ancient Cuneiform Tablets, a court filing from July 2017

In December 2010, Hobby Lobby purchased $1.6 million worth of Iraqi artifacts from dealers in the United Arab Emirates. The company went on with the purchase despite concerns from lawyers over the uncertain origin of the artifacts, and the possibility that they could have been looted. The shipments included tablets inscribed with cuneiform writing, which were misrepresented on declarations as being ceramic and clay tile samples, and contained false designations of origin stating that the objects were from Turkey and Israel. The company became subject to investigation by the U.S. government for these actions.[2][3][4][5][6]

According to a Justice Department press release, "In October 2010, an expert on cultural property law retained by Hobby Lobby warned the company that the acquisition of cultural property likely from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, carries a risk that such objects may have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq. The expert also advised Hobby Lobby to review its collection of antiquities for any objects of Iraqi origin and to verify that their country of origin was properly declared at the time of importation into the United States. The expert warned Hobby Lobby that an improper declaration of country of origin for cultural property could lead to seizure and forfeiture of the artifacts by CBP."[7]

On July 5, 2017, Hobby Lobby consented to a settlement requiring forfeiture of the artifacts and payment of a fine of $3 million.[5][8] Israeli police have arrested five antiquities dealers, in connection with the illegal importation of ancient artifacts by Hobby Lobby.[5][9]

Collections management controversy[edit]

From years before the museum opened, concerns were raised regarding the provenance of the artifacts in the collection. In response to this issue, the museum appointed David Trobisch, a European scholar, as director of the collection and charged him with addressing the concerns of critics.[10][11]

More recently, the founders of the museum were forced to relinquish thousands of artifacts because they were smuggled out of Iraq via the United Arab Emirates. Hobby Lobby was forced to relinquish 5,500 artifacts and to pay a $3 million settlement.[12][13] The Justice Department discussed archaeological looting in Iraq:

In October 2010, an expert on cultural property law retained by Hobby Lobby warned the company that the acquisition of cultural property likely from Iraq, including cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, carries a risk that such objects may have been looted from archaeological sites in Iraq. The expert also advised Hobby Lobby to review its collection of antiquities for any objects of Iraqi origin and to verify that their country of origin was properly declared at the time of importation into the United States. The expert warned Hobby Lobby that an improper declaration of country of origin for cultural property could lead to seizure and forfeiture of the artifacts by CBP U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The museum responded that they are a separate organization which "was not a party to either the investigation or the settlement."[14][better source needed] The museum says they voluntarily "adhere to the current Association of Art Museum Directors' standards on the Acquisition of Archaeological Material and Ancient Art, as well as guidelines set forth by the American Alliance of Museums" and, further, that "none of the artifacts identified in the settlement are part of the Museum's collection, nor have they ever been."[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ICE returns thousands of ancient artifacts seized from Hobby Lobby to Iraq". www.ice.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  2. ^ "United States Files Civil Action To Forfeit Thousands Of Ancient Iraqi Artifacts Imported By Hobby Lobby". Justice.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  3. ^ Baden, Candida Moss|Joel (2017-01-30). "Exclusive: Feds Investigate Hobby Lobby Boss for Illicit Artifacts". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  4. ^ Pilkington, Ed (2015-10-28). "Hobby Lobby investigated for trying to import ancient artifacts from Iraq". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  5. ^ a b c Feuer, Alan (2017-07-05). "Hobby Lobby Agrees to Forfeit 5,500 Artifacts Smuggled Out of Iraq". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  6. ^ "Hobby Lobby: Christian firm's artefact smuggling case settled". BBC News. 6 Jul 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  7. ^ "United States Files Civil Action To Forfeit Thousands Of Ancient Iraqi Artifacts Imported By Hobby Lobby". U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  8. ^ http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/05/hobby-lobby-fine-iraq-240245
  9. ^ "NPR: Israeli authorities arrest antiquities dealers in connection with Hobby Lobby scandal". NPR. 1 Aug 2017. Retrieved 2 Aug 2017.
  10. ^ Charney, Noah (4 September 2015). "Critics call it evangelical propaganda. Can the Museum of the Bible convert them?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  11. ^ Charney, Noah (4 September 2015). "Critics call it evangelical propaganda. Can the Museum of the Bible convert them?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 20 Dec 2016.
  12. ^ "United States Files Civil Action To Forfeit Thousands Of Ancient Iraqi Artifacts Imported By Hobby Lobby". U.S. Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  13. ^ Moss, Candida (26 Oct 2015). "Feds Investigate Hobby Lobby Boss for Illicit Artifacts". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Museum Press Statement". www.museumofthebible.org. Retrieved 30 March 2018.

External links[edit]

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