The US is returning 200 antiquities, including an ancient Roman sculpture that almost ended up in the possession of Kim Kardashian West, that were stolen and smuggled out of Italy. The vast majority of the stolen artefacts are believed to be connected to Edoardo Almagià, an Italian antiques dealer who lived in New York until 2003. Almagià was investigated in Italy for smuggling and selling stolen artefacts, but he will not face criminal charges since the statute of limitations for the crime has expired. “He is free and living in Rome,” said General Roberto Riccardi, the chief of Italy’s cultural heritage protection squad. Italy’s cultural heritage protection squad was established in 1969 and has since retrieved more than 3m stolen artefacts.

Source: The Guardian December 17, 2021 04:24 UTC