California Man Sentenced for Smuggling 2,000-Year-Old Roman Mosaic from Syria

The US District Court for the Central District of California has sentenced Mohamad Yassin Alcharih to three months in federal prison for his role in illegally importing a 2,000-pound Roman mosaic from Syria.

According to Art News, Alcharihi imported the ancient artifact into the United States in 2015, falsely declaring the artifact as "ceramic tiles from Turkey" valued at less than $600. The mosaic, estimated to be 2,000 years old, depicts Hercules rescuing Prometheus and is valued at $450,000.

Illegal Smuggling of Ancient Artifacts

The sentence was imposed Tuesday after the defendant pleaded guilty to entry of falsely classified goods. In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered the forfeiture of the 15-foot-long, 8-foot-tall Roman mosaic. Federal agents discovered the artifact hidden in Alcharihi's garage in 2016 following a multiyear investigation.

The US Attorney's Office of California emphasized the importance of this case in protecting cultural heritage. "It is unusual for smugglers of antiquities from the Middle East to be caught, and prosecutions of such smugglers are rare," said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the office.

"We hope today's sentence will show antiquities dealers, smugglers, and the museum community that there are consequences-including prison time-for these crimes."

USA Today reported that the mosaic has now been stored in a secure facility in Los Angeles since its seizure. The future of the artifact remains uncertain, as there are ongoing legal appeals.

In a report made by BBC about 5 years ago, Syria has become highly prone to the looting of ancient artifacts, particularly due to the ongoing conflict that has led to the destruction and plundering of museums, archaeological sites, and cultural heritage.