NEW YORK – Some ancient coins are being returned to Greece after the New York prosecution of a prominent collector from Rhode Island.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. and Greek officials are holding a ceremony Monday marking the repatriation of coins dating to 500 B.C.
The coins were part of a case against noted hand surgeon and coin aficionado Dr. Arnold-Peter Weiss. He was arrested in January 2012 during a coin auction at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. He later pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of stolen property.
Authorities say those charges involved three coins he thought had been illegally looted from Italy. They were actually forgeries.
Weiss forfeited his interest in about 20 other coins as part of his plea agreement.
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