Hobby Lobby, the arts-and-crafts store operated by a Christian family which gained most of its publicity from a religious freedom case at the Supreme Court in 2014, has recently been gaining media attention once again — but this time, under accusations of smuggling biblical artifacts.
The company came under fire when the U.S. Department of Justice found that it broke federal laws when it purchased and brought to America artifacts including clay bullae, cuneiform tablets, and cuneiform bricks from the Middle East in 2010. Hobby Lobby agreed to give up thousands of its artifacts, as well as to pay a $3 million fine.
“We should have exercised more oversight and carefully questioned how the acquisitions were handled,” Steve Green, the president …show more content…
breaks federal law. Antiquities in Iraq are also generally forbidden from being owned by private individuals unless authorized by the country. However, Green went on with the purchase of some 5,500 pieces of artifacts, which was brought into the U.S. through Israel and the United Arab Emirates, according to the complaint filed by the Department of Justice. Shipping labels of the purchase also said the packages were “samples” or “ceramic tiles” shipped from Turkey or Israel.
“American collectors and importers must ensure compliance with laws and regulations that require truthful declarations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, so that Customs officers are able to scrutinize cultural property crossing our borders and prevent the inappropriate entry of such property,” said Bridget M. Rohde, acting U.S. attorney, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Museum of the Bible clarified that none of the artifacts acquired by Green were included in the museum’s collections.
“The Museum of the Bible was not a party to either the investigation or the settlement,” the museum told the Baptist Press. “None of the artifacts identified in the settlement are part of the Museum’s collection, nor have they ever been. We remain on track to open in November and look forward to sharing our exhibits and displays with the
The company came under fire when the U.S. Department of Justice found that it broke federal laws when it purchased and brought to America artifacts including clay bullae, cuneiform tablets, and cuneiform bricks from the Middle East in 2010. Hobby Lobby agreed to give up thousands of its artifacts, as well as to pay a $3 million fine.
“We should have exercised more oversight and carefully questioned how the acquisitions were handled,” Steve Green, the president …show more content…
breaks federal law. Antiquities in Iraq are also generally forbidden from being owned by private individuals unless authorized by the country. However, Green went on with the purchase of some 5,500 pieces of artifacts, which was brought into the U.S. through Israel and the United Arab Emirates, according to the complaint filed by the Department of Justice. Shipping labels of the purchase also said the packages were “samples” or “ceramic tiles” shipped from Turkey or Israel.
“American collectors and importers must ensure compliance with laws and regulations that require truthful declarations to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, so that Customs officers are able to scrutinize cultural property crossing our borders and prevent the inappropriate entry of such property,” said Bridget M. Rohde, acting U.S. attorney, in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Museum of the Bible clarified that none of the artifacts acquired by Green were included in the museum’s collections.
“The Museum of the Bible was not a party to either the investigation or the settlement,” the museum told the Baptist Press. “None of the artifacts identified in the settlement are part of the Museum’s collection, nor have they ever been. We remain on track to open in November and look forward to sharing our exhibits and displays with the