Illegal Tile Import Leads to Prison Time

Sep. 11, 2024
By: Pietro N. Bianchi

On August 29, 2024, the United States District Court for the Central District of California issued a press release stating that Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was sentenced to three months in federal prison for illegally importing a floor mosaic. The mosaic is a Roman/Byzantine antiquity from Syria, which was appraised at $450,000 by the government’s expert. Alcharihi had purchased the 15-foot long, 8-foot tall, 2,000-pound mosaic in 2015 for approximately $12,000. On entry, he reported to Customs that he was importing ceramic tiles from Turkey valued at under $600.

The three pillars of a customs entry are classification, value, and country of origin. Falsely declaring these elements can lead to fines and, in rare cases, prison time. Here, Alcharihi falsely declared all three of these elements. In June 2023, a jury found Alcharihi guilty of one count of entry of falsely classified goods. Now Alcharihi is facing prison time for that offense.

Prison time for one false customs declaration might seem like a heavy-handed punishment. In addition to the blatant customs violations, importing protected cultural property is illegal. The U.S. has implemented the 1970 UNESCO Convention with the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act, 19 U.S.C. Chapter 14 (CPIA). While the emergency protection for Syrian cultural property was not incorporated into the CPIA until May 2016, the Court highlighted that Alcharihi’s entry occurred just months after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria, where the mosaic originated.

If you have questions about classification, valuation, origin, or cultural property import restrictions do not hesitate to contact an attorney at Barnes Richardson, & Colburn LLP.