“Claude White’s alleged use of violence ended in tragedy, and now the family and loved ones of Mr. Silver are grieving over this terrible loss. Whether it is during rush hour, late at night, or early in the morning, our subway system should be a safe way for all New Yorkers to travel and commute,” said District Attorney Bragg.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has announced the return of two statues, collectively valued at $1.26 million, to their rightful home in Libya. The artefacts, Marble Face of a Ptolemaic Queen and Female Bust, were stolen from the ancient city of Cyrene, located near modern-day Shahhat, and smuggled out by notorious British art trafficker Robin Symes, whose storied role as a liaison for antiquities smuggling networks across the world spans multiple decades and jurisdictions. Symes had acquired the two sculptures for his personal collection, hiding them in a New York storage unit for more than 20 years.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr. announced Friday the return of two antiquities collectively valued at $1.26 million to the people of Libya, saying in a statement that the pieces, “Marble Face of a Ptolemaic Queen” and “Female Bust,” were looted from the ancient city of Cyrene and smuggled by convicted British art trafficker Robin Symes, who served as the front man for multiple smuggling networks selling looted antiquities to high-end European and American buyers.
“It is shameful that these beautiful pieces were stored away for decades by a convicted trafficker. Cyrene has faced significant looting, but thanks to the work of our Antiquities Trafficking Unit and partners at Homeland Security, we have now returned several pieces from this ancient city back to the people of Libya. We continue to have ongoing investigations into stolen Libyan artifacts and look forward to more repatriation ceremonies in the future,” said District Attorney Bragg.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says, “I live here, I’m raising my family here, so we have a lot more work to do.”
FOX 5 NY’s Lisa Evers spoke one on one with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in Harlem. He’s referring to the latest NYPD statistics that show shooting incidents down 24.7%, in the first six months of this year and murders down by 3%. Robberies burglaries and shoplifting also declined. He told Lisa one reason is daily communication between prosecutors and law enforcement partners.
