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Colonel Matthew Bogdanos is an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan (since 1988), author, boxer, and a retired colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bogdanos deployed to Afghanistan where he was awarded a Bronze Star for actions against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In 2003, while on active duty in the Marine Corps, he led an investigation into the looting of Iraq's National Museum, and was subsequently awarded the National Humanities Medal for his efforts. Returning to the District Attorney's Office in 2010, he created and still heads the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, “the only one of its kind in the world.” The unit investigated looted art and helped repatriate them to their countries of origin. Matthew Bogdanos has faced opposition during his tenure at the Antiquities Trafficking Unit from museums impacted by his investigations.
In 1996, Bogdanos led a counter-narcotics action on the Mexico–United States border, he was active during Operation Desert Storm and served in South Korea, Lithuania, Guyana, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kosovo. In 2001, he was part of a law enforcement, counter-terrorism team deployed to Afghanistan, where he was awarded a Bronze Star for actions against Al-Qaeda for, according to the bronze Star citation, "seizing unexpected opportunities and relying on his personal courage often at great personal risk.
In 2001 Matthew Bogdanos gained national attention for the prosecution of Sean Combs, who was acquitted of weapons and bribery charges in a trial stemming from a 1999 nightclub shootout.
Mendelsohn's lawyers contested the seizure in court, arguing that the New York investigators lacked both jurisdiction and sufficient evidence to justify their actions. They accused the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of employing intimidation tactics to compel Mendelsohn to surrender the statue without due legal process. The defense maintained that the burden of proof rested with the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, asserting that the New York investigators were attempting to circumvent a transparent legal procedure that would require them to substantiate their claims with concrete evidence. Mendelsohn's legal team stated that should the statue be definitively proven to have been looted, Mendelsohn would willingly return it to Turkey.
According to The New York Times, this case, along with others involving institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, could have significant implications for the authority of the Manhattan District Attorney's office in pursuing artifacts beyond New York, particularly concerning issues of evidence and jurisdiction.
The National Review cites this case in an article discussing allegations of overreach and abuse of power in Bogdanos’ efforts to seize and repatriate antiquities. Critics argue that this aggressive approach amounts to a “shakedown,” where collectors and institutions are coerced into giving up their art without a proper legal trial. Many fear the reputational damage and financial costs of lengthy legal battles, leading them to comply with the DA's demands. In addition, the article criticizes the DA's jurisdictional reach, arguing that the office is overstepping its bounds by targeting artifacts with only tenuous connections to New York.
However, the move has sparked controversy, particularly within the Tibetan community. Lama Wangchuk Gyaltsen, a Tibetan elder, criticized the return, accusing China of continuing to oppress Tibetan culture and questioning the legality and ethics of returning artifacts to a government that has historically suppressed Tibetan heritage. U.S. policy, historically sympathetic to Tibetan cultural preservation, stands in contrast to the State Department's Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) with the PRC, which has been extended despite opposition from advocates for Tibetan and Uyghur minorities.
The Dalai Lama has previously endorsed the preservation of Tibetan artifacts in U.S. museums, viewing them as safer than in Chinese custody. The return of these objects is seen by critics as a violation of U.S. cultural policy and human rights principles, particularly in light of China's ongoing repression of Tibetan culture, language, and religion.
Djamila Fellague, an expert in Roman art and archaeology, has provided detailed evidence that suggests the mosaics are not authentic. According to her research, the designs of the alleged fakes were copied from well-known Roman mosaics housed in museums and archaeological sites in Italy, Tunisia, Algeria, and Turkey. For example, Fellague identified one mosaic panel, depicting an Anguiped Giant, as a clear imitation of a section from the famous mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Another mosaic, featuring Neptune and Amphitrite, appears to be based on a Roman mosaic found in Constantine, Algeria, that has been displayed in the Louvre since the mid-19th century. Out of the nine mosaics returned to Lebanon, Fellague claims only one appears to have been inspired by an actual Lebanese artefact — a depiction of Bacchus from the National Museum of Beirut.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office had announced the return of the mosaics in September 2023, as part of a broader effort to repatriate Middle Eastern and North African antiquities that had been allegedly trafficked into New York. The office's Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) obtained a warrant for the arrest of a Lebanese antiquities trafficker and issued an Interpol red notice in 2022. The nine mosaics were part of a collection of looted artefacts believed to have been brought into New York illegally. However, as soon as Fellague saw photographs of the mosaics in the press, she immediately sensed that most were "obvious fakes" and began her investigation.
Fellague's research led her to believe that the forgeries may have been created in a workshop located in the Middle East, likely during the 1970s or 1980s, based on the style and techniques used. Despite these accusations, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office denied the claims. They argued that the mosaics had been authenticated by experts during the legal proceedings and that a court had evaluated the evidence before authorising their return to Lebanon. “The court found, based on the evidence — which these individuals do not have — that the pieces are authentic,” the spokesperson stated.
Critics, however, remain unconvinced, pointing to the lack of transparency and scientific rigor in the authentication process. Fellague, along with other experts, has called for further investigation into the matter, arguing that the case highlights the need for more robust due diligence in cases involving the repatriation of cultural heritage.
Cultural Property News referenced reports from the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 2015, which indicate that cultural heritage trafficking, including antiquities, represents a small portion of global illicit trade. Additionally, a 2020 report by the RAND Corporation found no evidence to support the claim of a multi-billion-dollar antiquities market.
Despite these findings, media releases from the District Attorney's office in 2023 continued to describe antiquities trafficking as a “multi-billion-dollar business.” Cultural Property News questioned why Bogdanos had not addressed or corrected these statements, suggesting that greater transparency may be needed.
The publication also pointed to instances where the District Attorney's office had potentially overstated the value of items involved in cases. For example, the office claimed that 19 items returned to Italy were valued at $19 million, though experts from the antiquities field disputed this valuation. Cultural Property News suggested that such overestimations could contribute to a perception of a larger-scale illicit trade than what is supported by available evidence.
The controversy arose after the unit announced the recovery of two 4th-century marble statuettes, claiming credit for their identification without acknowledging Tsirogiannis’ role. The statuettes, depicting the mythological figures Castor and Pollux, had been looted from Lebanon and were later seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tsirogiannis asserts that his 2012 doctoral research, which remains under restricted access at Cambridge University, was crucial in proving the objects' illicit origins.
Tsirogiannis has called for greater transparency and proper recognition of expert contributions in such cases. The Manhattan DA's office has not responded publicly to the claims.
Bogdanos is also a former middleweight boxer with almost 30 amateur fights and is still boxing, with a record of 10-2 since his 40th birthday. Along with another Assistant District Attorney, fellow U.S. Marine officer Al Peterson, he co-founded a Charity Boxing Foundation called Battle of the Barristers that has raised more than $1 million for wounded and Child protection.
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