Billionaire Steinhardt Surrenders $70 Million of Antiquities, Accepts Collecting Ban: Manhattan DA

Billionaire Steinhardt Surrenders $70 Million of Antiquities, Accepts Collecting Ban: Manhattan DA
Michael Steinhardt attends the premiere of "A Film Unfinished" at MOMA-Celeste Bartos Theater in New York on Aug. 11, 2010. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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NEW YORK—Hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist Michael Steinhardt has surrendered $70 million of stolen antiquities and accepted a first-of-its-kind lifetime ban on acquiring antiquities to resolve a criminal probe, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said on Monday.

Vance said his probe, begun in February 2017, found “compelling evidence” that the 180 antiquities were stolen from 11 countries, with at least 171 passing through traffickers before Steinhardt’s purchases.