The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has officially announced the return of thirty-three artifacts, which include statues and artwork, to their rightful homeland, Cambodia. These invaluable cultural treasures belonged to the Khmer people and have been voluntarily returned by the family of the late George Lindemann, a billionaire entrepreneur who served as the CEO of the natural gas pipeline company Southern Union. George Lindemann passed away in 2018.
In light of this significant repatriation, Cambodian authorities are planning a ceremony to celebrate the return of these culturally significant relics. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, praised this historic agreement as a positive step towards returning culturally significant items to Cambodia under the “U.S.-Cambodia Cultural Property Agreement,” originally signed in 2003 and renewed in late August.
Phoeurng Sackona, Cambodia’s Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, expressed their gratitude for the voluntary return of these national treasures by the Lindemann family, acknowledging the wrongful possession of these artifacts. In response, the Lindemann family released a statement to the New York Times, explaining that they had acquired these items from dealers they believed to be reputable and were deeply saddened to learn about their illicit origins.
This remarkable collection comprises statues and artworks dating from the 10th and 12th centuries, stolen from significant Cambodian sites such as Angkor Wat and Koh Ker. Among these artifacts is a statue of Dhrishtadyumna, a hero from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, which was stolen from the ancient Khmer kingdom’s capital, Prasat Chen. Additionally, the collection includes a 10th-century sculpture of Ardhanarishvara, a deity embodying both male and female aspects, a kneeling figure from the Banteay Srei temple, and six heads representing devas and asuras (angels and demons) that formerly adorned the gates of Angkor Thom city.
The handling of this case falls under the purview of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit.
This isn’t the first instance of such a case in the Southern District of New York. In previous cases, a sculpture of Duryodhana and a sculpture depicting the god of war Skanda on a peacock were recovered and repatriated to Cambodia. Notably, many of these stolen relics originated from the same temple site.
Since 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security, has identified and repatriated a total of 65 stolen and trafficked Cambodian antiquities owned by various individuals and groups in the United States.
In a related matter, British art dealer Douglas Latchford faced indictment in the Southern District of New York in 2019 for wire fraud conspiracy and other crimes related to selling stolen Cambodian antiques on the international market. However, the indictment was dismissed following Latchford’s passing in 2020.
George Lindemann, known for his passion for collecting artifacts, was featured in a 2008 article in “Architectural Digest.” The article featured photographs showcasing over a dozen Khmer statues displayed in his Florida mansion. Art experts and archaeologists collaborating with the Cambodian Ministry of Culture confirmed in 2021 that six of these artworks were unequivocally looted. It’s important to clarify that the recent agreement with the Lindemann family does not suggest any violation of federal laws on their part.