Kim Kardashian is in Trouble with the U.S. Government
The reality star has been asked to turn over ancient Roman artifacts believed to be in her possession.
Kim Kardashian is in hot water with the United States and Italian governments after a shipment carrying ancient Roman art appeared in Los Angeles in her name. The sculpture believed to be Fragment of Myron's Athena, the lower half of a limestone statue dedicated to the goddess Athena, can be traced back to the 1st or 2nd century BC.
According to Artnet, in 2016, the reality star purchased the sculpture at the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Belgium. It was sent to Los Angeles along with over 40 other antiques, as well as more contemporary furniture and decorative pieces. The 5.5-ton shipment cost Kardashian around $750,000. However, when it arrived in California, customs officials halted its release after it arrived with the wrong paperwork. Upon inspection, U.S. Border officers reported the statue's arrival to authorities, claiming that it could be protected cultural property.
In 2018, an archaeologist traveled to Los Angeles to inspect the sculpture on behalf of Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage. According to court documents, he found that the art was "looted, smuggled, and illegally exported from Italy." Now, as a part of the government's agreement to crack down on illegal imports of ancient Italian artifacts, the U.S. government has agreed to seize the sculpture and return it to Italy. However, in the court order for the piece's resumption, there's no indication that Kardashian was aware of the statue's origin.
Kardashian's team has released a statement saying, "Kim never purchased this piece and this is the first that she has learned of its existence. We believe it may have been purchased using her name without authorization and because it was never received, she was unaware of the transaction. We encourage an investigation and hope that it gets returned to the rightful owners.”