NEW YORK – The United States is working to return to Italy a Roman statue stolen in 1983.
Prosecutors announced Thursday they are taking steps in federal court in New York City to return a marble statue of the limbless body of a woman draped in cloth. The statue, known as Torlonia Peplophoros, was stolen from the Villa Torlonia in Rome.
After it was brought into the U.S. illegally in the late 1990s, the statue was purchased in 2001 from a gallery by a New York City resident for about $75,000. Prosecutors say the buyer agreed to give it up several weeks ago after learning it was stolen.
The Villa Torlonia displays works of art and cultural property. It was used by Fascist leader Benito Mussolini as his residence from 1925 to 1943.
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