Steve Green, billionaire president of the Hobby Lobby craft store chain, has returned more than 5000 ancient artifacts and paid a $3 million fine after federal investigators determined that the artifacts came from Iraq, and not from Turkey or Israel as declared on the customs forms. In 2010, Hobby Lobby paid $1.6 million for a collection of tablets, bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals bearing cuneiform inscriptions. They purchased the collection from a dealer in the United Arab Emirates. Laws in both the United States and Iraq prohibit the purchase of ancient artifacts illegally removed from the country of origin. Hobby Lobby released a statement in which they stated, "At no time did Hobby Lobby ever purchase items from dealers in Iraq or from anyone who indicated that they acquired items from that country. Hobby Lobby condemns such conduct and has always acted with the intent to protect ancient items of cultural and historical importance." Many artifacts from the Green Collection have been donated to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, which is scheduled to open in November. None of the artifacts in this settlement were from the Museum of the Bible. Steve Green has said that Hobby Lobby was "new to the world of acquiring items and did not fully appreciate the complexities of the acquisitions process." He admits that they made "regrettable mistakes" and that he should have "exercised more oversight."
Off-site Links:
- http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/july/hobby-lobby-steve-green-artifacts-smuggled-from-iraq.html
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/nyregion/hobby-lobby-artifacts-smuggle-iraq.html?mcubz=0