ICE participates in repatriation ceremony for stolen Italian artifacts

On Tuesday, May 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) participated in a repatriation ceremony in Rome, Italy for 26 stolen artifacts of Italian heritage that were seized after investigations across nine domestic HSI offices.

The ceremony was held in coordination with the Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), Italy’s cultural property investigative unit, and recognized the collaborative and investigative work by HSI special agents, TPC investigators, prosecutors from various United States Attorney’s Offices and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to return stolen cultural artifacts. U.S. Ambassador John R. Phillips was among the various speakers who provided remarks.

Over the span of more than three decades, looted artifacts from Italy – Etruscan vases, first century frescoes and precious books – ended up in the United States in various museums, universities and private collections. In an effort to recover the items, the Carabinieri TPC Rome office passed several leads to HSI Rome identifying Italian cultural artifacts that were illicitly traded and smuggled into the United States. HSI Rome opened investigations and forwarded several leads to HSI field offices in Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Miami, New York, San Diego, St. Paul, San Francisco and Tampa. Each of these offices conducted a series of investigations and seizures that made the repatriation possible.

Since 2007, more than 7,800 artifacts have been returned to over 30 countries including paintings from France, Germany, Poland and Austria, 15th-18th century manuscripts from Italy and Peru, cultural artifacts from China, Cambodia and Iraq, and two Baatar dinosaur fossils to Mongolia.

Learn more about HSI’s cultural property, art and antiquities investigations. Members of the public who have information about suspected stolen cultural property are urged to call the toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or to complete the online tip form.