590 artifacts pillaged from Egypt

A Brooklyn man was indicted for trying to smuggle hundreds of Egyptian artifacts stuffed inside dirty suitcases through JFK Airport. Ashraf Omar Eldarir, 47, was caught at the Queens airport in January allegedly carrying three suitcases filled with 590 antiquities. Among the relics were objects made to be buried in the funerary pyramids of Egyptian royalty, such as gold amulets and wooden tomb models — including one item that dates to around 1900 BCE. There was also two funerary stelae, or stone monuments to the deceased, hailing from the Roman period. Prosecutors said Eldarir did not have any of the required documentation from Egypt authorizing the export of the artifacts. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail for each count.