The seemingly endless antiquities looting case that involves Marion True, the former head of the Getty Museum’s Antiquities department and Robert Hecht, moves forward as Italy’s appeals court upholds Giacomo Medici’s conviction. Here’s Bloomberg on the issue:
Italy has used evidence from Medici’s December 2004 conviction to win the return of artifacts from institutions including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
“Mickey Mouse can’t compete with the state” of Italy, Medici, 71, said after the verdict. He said he’ll appeal the decision to Italy’s highest court.
In Medici’s 2004 conviction, Rome Judge Guglielmo Muntoni sentenced him to 10 years in prison and a 10 million-euro ($14 million) fine for smuggling, handling stolen antiquities and conspiracy. Today his sentence was reduced to eight years. Medici has been free while appealing.
Rome Court Upholds Conviction of Antiquities Smuggler Medici (Bloomberg)