Man illegally ships ancient 15-foot-long Roman mosaic to his California home, feds say

A California man lied to U.S. customs officials when he declared he was shipping himself ceramic tiles from Turkey worth less than $600 as part of his plan to “get rich,” according to federal prosecutors.

The actual cargo that arrived at his home contained an ancient, 15-foot-long Roman floor mosaic that he knew was worth way more than a few hundred dollars — and spent $40,000 to have restored, prosecutors said.

According to a government appraisal expert, the antiquity, which weighs about 2,000 pounds and shows the demigod Hercules, a hero from Greek and Roman mythology, is worth $450,000.

The man illegally smuggled the artifact — which is from Syria, not Turkey — that was later seized from his garage by federal agents in March 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in an Aug. 29 news release. He was convicted in June 2023 of one count of entry of falsely classified goods, according to prosecutors.

He “was making plans to sell the Mosaic for a six-figure sum” following a “sprawling web of lies,” prosecutors wrote ahead of the man’s sentencing.

A judge sentenced the 57-year-old Palmdale resident on Aug. 29 to three months in prison for the illegal shipment, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced.

The man’s defense attorneys didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Aug. 30.

His legal counsel had argued that the floor mosaic was not an authentic piece of art from ancient Rome and had an expert testify that it was a “modern forgery or reconstruction” instead, sentencing documents show.

The government disagreed and said the mosaic showing Hercules rescuing Prometheus, a Greek mythological figure, was created “nearly two millennia ago.”

According to prosecutors, the man falsely classified the shipment of the mosaic a few months after “the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria, particularly by the terrorist organizations Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Al-Nusrah Front,” prosecutors said.

When it was sent to the U.S. from Syria inside a shipping container, the man had it hidden underneath 80 vases, according to prosecutors. Then, a truck delivered the mosaic to the man’s home, officials said.

Since 2016, the mosaic has been stored in a facility in Los Angeles, according to prosecutors.

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