Thai Collector, Cultural Property Trafficking, California 2023

The Grimy Times has learned that a high-profile case of cultural property trafficking has come to light in San Francisco, California. According to a recent civil complaint filed by the United States, two large, hand-carved decorative lintels, valued at over 1,500 pounds each, were illegally exported from Thailand and are now being sought by the Thai government.

The lintels, which were originally located in ancient religious temples in Thailand, were removed without permission and then exported from the country without a license. The relics were subsequently acquired by a noted collector of South and Southeast Asian art, who bequeathed them to the City and County of San Francisco. The City used the collection, including the lintels, for display in the Asian Art Museum.

The federal government first learned of the lintels’ illicit export in 2017 and reached out to the Asian Art Museum to negotiate their return. However, negotiations have stalled, leading the United States to file a civil complaint to forfeit and repatriate the relics.

“U.S. law requires U.S. museums to respect the rights of other countries to their own historical artifacts,” said U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson. “For years we have tried to get the Asian Art Museum to return this stolen artwork to Thailand. With this federal filing, we call on the Museum’s Board of Directors to do the right thing.”

Special Agent in Charge Tatum King added, “Returning a nation’s cultural antiquities promotes goodwill with foreign governments and citizens, while significantly protecting the world’s cultural history and knowledge of past civilizations.”

The civil complaint alleges that the two decorative lintels are subject to forfeiture and that the City and County of San Francisco, as well as any other potential claimants, will have their interests forfeit if the United States prevails in court. If successful, the United States will provide Thai officials with information on the remission and restoration process via the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

The forfeiture action is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Kaltsas and Amanda M. Bettinelli are prosecuting the case.

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