Artifacts seized from U.S. billionaire returned to Israel

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in New York announced the repatriation Tuesday of $5 million worth of looted antiquities seized from billionaire hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt to Israel, where Steinhardt is well known as a patron of cultural institutions.

The 39 items being returned to Israel include two gold masks dating from about 5000 B.C. that are valued at $500,000 and a set of three death masks that date from 6000 to 7000 B.C. and are worth a total of $650,000, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

“These rare and beautiful artifacts, which are thousands of years old, have been kept from the public because of illegal looting and trafficking,” Bragg said. “My office is proud to once again return historic antiquities to where they rightfully belong."

The objects that authorities say were illegally acquired in Israel are part of $70 million worth of stolen antiquities that Steinhardt agreed to turn over in December in a deal to avoid prosecution.

Under the agreement, Steinhardt is permanently barred from acquiring antiquities. Items seized from Steinhardt have previously been returned to authorities in Greece and Jordan.

A message seeking comment on Tuesday's announcement was sent to an attorney for Steinhardt. His attorneys have said previously that the dealers from whom Steinhardt bought antiquities represented to him that they held lawful title to the artifacts.

Of the 39 objects that are to be repatriated to Israel, 28 were turned over to Israeli authorities Tuesday. Three were already on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and eight have not yet been located but will be returned as soon as they are found, the district attorney's office said. Several of the artifacts returned to Israel were looted from the occupied West Bank.

Additionally, a...