Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit thousands of Iraqi artifacts, pay $3 million fine
The DOJ said the company received the falsely labeled artifacts from a United Arab Emirates-based supplier.
The artifacts, ancient cuneiform tablets and clay bullae, were smuggled into the United States through the United Arab Emirates and Israel, Justice officials said. Cuneiform is an ancient system of writing on clay tablets that was used in Mesopotamia, and clay bullae are balls of clay on which seals have been imprinted.
The dealers working with Hobby Lobby falsely labeled the shipments as “ceramics” and “samples” and illegally shipped them to Hobby Lobby stores and two corporate offices, according to the DOJ.
The arts and crafts chain agreed Wednesday to the settlement with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Hobby Lobby said it has cooperated with the investigation.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.
- Chevron advances Libya return with new production-sharing deal - August 25, 2026
- Libya prepares $5bn tender to develop North Gialo field - August 08, 2026
- Mellitah nearly triples output from Abu Attifel well - August 01, 2026