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A Palmdale man was found guilty by a federal court of unlawfully importing a two-millennia-old Roman mosaic that had been looted from Syria at the height of the global war against the West Asian country.

The mosaic was allegedly bought by Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi in 2015, as per the US Department of Justice. The artwork shows the Greek and Roman mythology tale of Hercules saving Prometheus. 

The 56-year-old allegedly paid $12,000 and failed to reveal that he was importing Syrian antiquities, according to the prosecution. Alcharihi instead told his customs broker a lie, claiming that he was bringing in Turkish ceramic tiles for less than $600. The DOJ asserted that a government assessment expert placed a $450,000 value on the mosaic.

The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria in the months prior to Alcharihi's crimes.

After removing the 2,000-pound mosaic from Alcharihi's garage in March 2016, authorities seized it and kept it in a location near Los Angeles instead of repatriating it to Syria.

Recently, it was reported that the areas where the US occupation forces are deployed in cooperation with US-backed SDF militia looted #Syrian archaeological sites in the war-torn country’s Jazira region, as well as the northern province of Raqqa.#Syria pic.twitter.com/efAwoslHHe

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 16, 2023

Recently, it was reported that the areas where the US occupation forces are deployed in cooperation with US-backed SDF militia looted Syrian archaeological sites, most notably in the war-torn country’s Jazira region, as well as the northern province of Raqqa.

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