Global Antiquities Heavyweight Dealer Nancy Wiener Arrested In Manhattan

Wiener is also accused of having items—like a $500,000 bronze Buddha—restored to conceal signs of illegal excavations, like shovel marks. The aforementioned Buddha was seized in a March 2016 raid on her gallery, while affixed with a selling price of $1.5 million.

Prominent antiquities dealer Nancy Wiener was arrested in Manhattan on December 21 and charged with possessing stolen property in the form of looted antiquities from East Asis since at least 1999. Wiener is accused of destroying documents about the pedigree and purchase route of stolen objects she delivered to Christie's and Sotheby's as well as private collectors and institutions. She is charged with knowingly creating false paperwork.

ArtNet writes: that the arrest "comes as part of the US federal investigation Operation Hidden Idol, which has been tracking down antiquities smuggled into the country by the New York dealer Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor is currently on trial in Chennai, India, for allegedly heading a $100 million international smuggling ring, bringing 2,622 stolen objects to the US. Wiener was allegedly in possession of some of Kapoor’s stolen Indian antiquities."

One must also wonder about the hush-hush complicity of Sotheby's and Christies in facilitating her 'presitigious' alleged antiquities looting operation. ~ Anne