Antiquities Trial Evokes Indiana Jones & 007
Feb. 13 -- In New York City, a prominent antiquities dealer has been convicted in a case that involves international conspiracies, millions of dollars, and rogue European elites.
It's a case that has riveted anyone who has a connection to artifacts of the ancient world — but for more reasons than just the intriguing details. The plot would have fit perfectly for actor Harrison Ford's character Indiana Jones.
The verdict, many experts say, could impact the entire antiquities industry — and more importantly, declare a victor in one of the eternal struggles in the world of ancient art.
Ovens, Teabags, and a Global Conspiracy
Frederick Schultz, 47, the owner of Frederick Schultz Ancient Art, was convicted Tuesday of dealing in ancient objects in violation of an 1983 Egyptian law that declared all newly discovered antiquities and those still in the ground to be the property of the Egyptian state.
Among the items he was accused of helping to sell is the head of a statue of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which was sold in 1992 for $1.2 million.
According to court documents, Schultz's main co-conspirator was Jonathan Tokeley-Parry, a 50-year-old Englishman who reportedly holds degrees from Cambridge University and University College in London.
Tokeley-Parry, a former cavalry officer, was also the prosecution's star witness.
He was jailed from 1997 to 2000 in a British prison on charges of assisting in the handling of stolen property, and was tried in absentia in Egypt and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.
Tokeley-Parry testified he smuggled the stone sculpture of the head of Amenhotep III, who died in 1375 B.C., out of Egypt by dipping it in plastic and painting it black to make it look like a cheap tourist souvenir.
Prosecutors said Schultz purchased the head from Tokeley-Parry in 1992 for $915,000. He resold it for $1.2 million to a London art collector.
According to prosecutors, Schultz's method was to give Tokeley-Parry money in exchange for objects that were either stolen or purchased illegally in Egypt.
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