The United States filed a civil complaint Wednesday calling on Hobby Lobby to forfeit thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts that were smuggled through dealers in Israel and the United Arab Emirates and shipped to its U.S. stores beginning in 2009 labeled as “ceramics” and “samples.” The arts-and-crafts supply company has agreed to return return 5,500 artifacts and pay $3 million to resolve the civil action. Hobby Lobby did not attempt to verify the legal custodian or origin of the 5,513 of the artifacts at any point, according to the suit. The Green family, which owns Hobby Lobby, had been under federal investigation for possible illicit importation since 2011, as first reported in The Daily Beast. The company is famous for winning a landmark Supreme Court case in which they argued companies should not be required to provide contraception coverage for employees under the Affordable Care Act if it does not align with their religious beliefs.
—Emma Kerr
