A man from California has received a prison sentence for illegally bringing into the U.S. a massive 2,000-pound mosaic of Hercules that was originally from Syria, according to federal prosecutors who shared the news on Thursday.

Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi has been sentenced to three months in prison after being found guilty by U.S. District Court Judge George W. Hu for deceiving customs officials regarding the artwork. The 15-foot long and 8-foot wide piece of history was confiscated from Alcharihi’s garage and will be sent back to Syria.

This mosaic illustrates the tale of Hercules freeing Prometheus, who was bound to a rock by the gods for stealing fire for mankind. Prosecutors state that Alcharihi purchased the mosaic in 2015 for approximately $12,000 and misrepresented its value and origin to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“In August 2015, Alcharihi illegally brought the mosaic into the U.S. by providing false information about its worth and quality,” the department noted. “The mosaic was sent to Alcharihi’s address at the Port of Long Beach as part of a shipment from Turkey.”

This incident is not an isolated case of looted art being found in the United States. For example, in March, a family in Massachusetts discovered artwork that had been taken from Japan during World War II in their attic. In September 2023, the New York family of a deceased billionaire agreed to return 33 cultural artifacts to Cambodia. The FBI maintains a National Stolen Art File, an online record of stolen artworks and historical items.

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in 2014 denouncing the destruction of Syria’s World Heritage Sites by terrorist organizations. They have since issued additional resolutions condemning the destruction and trafficking of cultural and religious properties.

The Justice Department revealed that Alcharihi invested about $40,000 in restoring the mosaic, which is now valued at $450,000. The artwork is currently being kept in a secure location in Los Angeles until it can be returned to Syria, according to legal documents.

“The defendant conspired to import and smuggled this valuable Roman mosaic into the United States without remorse or acknowledgment of wrongdoing,” U.S. attorneys stated in their sentencing recommendation based on court documents.

Defendant Misled Broker and U.S. Authorities About the Mosaic

In a May 2018 forfeiture complaint, U.S. attorneys detailed how Alcharihi deceived a third-party broker regarding the mosaic’s value and had it shipped alongside 81 vases and other mosaic items. An invoice of $2,199.23 for the items, along with a $2,900 shipping fee, was sent by a person from Turkey, according to court records.

The broker informed the FBI and Homeland Security Investigators that the items were declared as “ornamental art” and “ceramic, unglazed tiles,” with a combined value of $2,199. During interviews with federal agents, it was discovered that the mosaic had actually undergone a $40,000 restoration, and one informant confirmed that it was about 2,000 years old.

Alcharihi claimed that the mosaic had been taken from a floor 25 years prior and that it had taken him a decade to get it out of Turkey due to changing laws. He also mentioned that the piece had been “rolled up” for a quarter of a century.

Authorities learned from an expert that since around 2012, looted cultural artifacts from Syria have been moved through Turkey, and the mosaic Alcharihi received was particularly rare.

During a federal interview in March 2016, Alcharihi admitted to buying 80 vases (which broke when they arrived in the U.S.) along with two mosaics— the looted Roman artwork and a smaller unknown piece— all for $12,000. He reported the combined value as $2,400 in order to reduce his import duties, as stated by federal prosecutors.

He later claimed in an email to someone that the mosaic was obtained from family land and a building they had owned for generations, asserting it was imported legally into the U.S., according to court documents.

“The main issue is that despite the commendable aspects of the defendant’s life, he has a significant blemish: a long-term scheme to deceive the United States and profit from selling a smuggled antiquity,” U.S. attorneys argued in an August 19 court document. “Moreover, the defendant’s actions since being caught in March 2016 warrant serious consideration, as he continued to lie about the mosaic and even attempted to tamper with witnesses. This behavior does not reflect the American dream.”