Turkey jails ten for museum theft

Hurriyet contains a brief notice that former director of the Uşak Archaeological Museum Kazim Akbiyiklioglu has been sentenced to 13 years for the theft of an ancient coin and gold broach.

Nine others were given lesser sentences.

The broach is part of the Lydian treasure that was displayed in New York between 1987 and 1993. A US museum paid $1,200,000 million for the teasures, which turned out to be smuggled illegally out of Turkey. After a court battle the artifacts ended up in Uşak where 769 visitors saw them before Akbiyikoglu switched them for fakes. He later claimed that he was the victim of a supernatural curse on the objects.

(via Looting matters)