Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of 11 antiquities to the people of Egypt. The objects were recovered pursuant to multiple criminal investigations, including one into previously convicted London-based trafficker Robin Symes, who passed away in 2023. The Office has seized 135 antiquities valued at more than $58 million that had allegedly been trafficked by Symes into and through Manhattan.

“Eleven more priceless antiquities have now been recovered and returned to where they rightfully belong. None of this work is possible without the dedication and commitment of our team, and I thank them for their work on these investigations,” said District Attorney Bragg.

“I extend my sincere gratitude to the District Attorney of New York for their unwavering support and partnership in the return of a nation’s treasured antiquities. DANY’s commitment to justice, cultural preservation, and international cooperation has made a profound impact—not just on Egypt, but on the global community’s shared heritage,” said Ambassador Hoawida Essam the Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Key pieces being returned on May 30, 2025:

-God Bes Vessel: dating to circa 650–550 BCE, first appeared covered in dirt and lime encrustation, both tell-tale signs of recent looting, in a photo in Symes’ possession, which he used to advertise the piece to prospective buyers. Symes eventually sold the Vessel to a museum in the U.S. in the early 1990’s, where it remained until it was recovered by the ATU.

-Mummy Mask of a Youth: This funerary portrait was painted during the Roman rule in Egypt, between 100-300 CE, and belongs to a large group of similar works known as “Fayum portraits.” The Mask first surfaced unprovenanced on the art market in 1977 in the possession of the NYC-based dealer Mathias Komor. In a letter to the eventual purchaser, Komor described the Mask as having been recently found near the protected archaeological pyramid complex of Abusir. The Mask then passed from this private collector to a U.S.-based museum, where it was seized by the ATU earlier this year.

During District Attorney Bragg’s tenure, the ATU has recovered more than 2,350 antiquities stolen from 42 countries, valued at more than $250 million. Since its creation, the ATU has convicted 17 individuals of cultural property-related crimes, recovered more than 6,000 antiquities valued at more than $470 million, and has returned more than 5,500 of them so far to 30 countries.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and Senior Trial Counsel, conducted the investigations, along with Assistant District Attorneys James Edward-Lebair and Taylor Holland, Investigative Analysts Charlotte Looram and Michael Chapin; District Attorney Investigator John Paul Labbat; and Special Agents Robert Mancene and Robert Fromkin of Homeland Security Investigations. The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Jennifer Morris, Cultural Heritage Partners, and Dr. Michael Taylor and Karen Daly of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for their assistance and cooperation with our investigations.