Rome authorities have indicted a senior curator at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, accusing Marion True of "stealing history" from Italy.
True, 56, is accused of criminal conspiracy to receive stolen goods and illicit receipt of archeological items, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
True, who was unavailable for comment, also is accused of laundering artworks originally bought by a private collector.
"We want this case to be a big deterrent," said Capt. Massimiliano Quagliarella, who heads Italy's Carabinieri police unit that oversees archeological theft.
"I do think it's problematical if museum curators, particularly reputable ones, are going to be the subject of indictments around the world," New York lawyer Lawrence Kaye said. "It certainly sends a chill out, warning people to be very careful about what kind of antiquities they are buying."
Among the 40 items cited in the indictment are a statue of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and a figure of Tyche, the goddess of fortune.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
