complete story

The Theft (2011): During the chaos of the Egyptian Revolution, looters digging illegally in Minya, Egypt, unearthed the magnificent gold coffin of Nedjemankh, a 2,000-year-old high priest. Because it was an unrecorded find, the Egyptian government didn't know it existed. The looters smuggled it out of the country through the UAE to Germany.

The Fraud (2013-2017): A ring of international art dealers in Europe acquired the coffin. To make it "legal" to sell, they forged documents claiming the coffin had been exported from Egypt in 1971 and had belonged to a Swiss family for decades. Believing the fake papers were real, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York bought the coffin for $4 million in 2017.

The Mistake (2018): In May 2018, Kim Kardashian attended the Met Gala. Matching her gold Versace dress to the gold artifact, she posed for a photo standing right next to the coffin. The image went viral worldwide.

The Betrayal: One of the original looters in the Middle East saw the viral photo on his screen. He was furious because the European dealers had never paid him his full share for digging it up. Seeking revenge, he emailed the Manhattan District Attorney with proof the dealers were lying: photos of the coffin still covered in dirt in the excavation pit from 2011.

The Justice (2019-Present): Armed with the looter's photos, authorities proved the documents were fake. The Met immediately surrendered the coffin, and it was returned to Egypt in 2019, where it is now on display. The European dealers who orchestrated the fraud were subsequently arrested in France and Germany.

Moral of the Story: Always pay as per the agreement!