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Author smuggled Iraqi treasures
10/08/2003 17:27 - (SA)
New York - The author of a book on rebuilding Iraq has been charged with smuggling looted Iraqi treasures into the United States, and could face up to five years in prison, federal prosecutors said on Sunday.
Joseph Braude, 28, the author of "The New Iraq: Rebuilding the Country for Its People," was released Saturday on a $100 000 bond after a preliminary appearance in US district court in New York.
The smuggling charge stemmed from the discovery of three ancient Mesopotamian stone seals in Braude's suitcase when he arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport from London on June 11.
US Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said Braude had initially told officials he had travelled only to England and Kuwait, not Iraq.
A Columbia University archaeologist who evaluated the seals, which Braude had not declared on his customs form, determined they were more than 4 000 years old and had probably been removed from the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad.
Braude later conceded that he had paid $200 for the seals in Baghdad and prosecutors said he admitted knowing that they were probably stolen.
"This administration has sent a clear signal that we would not allow thieves to take advantage of the conflict in Iraq to pilfer its antiquities," Mauskopf said in a statement.
If convicted, Braude faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $250 000 fine.
- SAPA
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