Kim Kardashian Denies Allegations She Purchased Smuggled Ancient Roman Statue

Kim Kardashian Denies Allegations She Purchased Smuggled Ancient Roman Statue

Could Kim Kardashian be a lowkey an art smuggler?

This past Friday (April 30th), California court documents were filed that allege Kim Kardashian had an ancient Roman statue illegally imported into the United States. The 40-piece statue is valued at more than $745,000 and dates back to at least the 2nd century AD. The statue–addressed to Kim Kardashian herself–was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport back in June 2016. Later, an Italian archaeologist examined the art piece, determining it was:

“[L]ooted, smuggled and illegally exported from Italy.”

A fragment of the statue in question

Despite court documents classifying Kardashian as “the consignee and importer name,” she is vehemently denying even purchasing the statue in question, let alone any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Kardashian claims:

“We believe that it may have been purchased using her name without authorization and because it was never received (and) she was unaware of the transaction.”

“[T]here is no evidence that this piece was illegally imported from Italy. Our client, as well as our gallery and the gallery from whom we’ve bought the piece have always acted in good faith when dealing with the work.”