| In
1987 in northern Peru, the ruins of the Moche (pronounced
mo-chay) civilization, which flourished from about
100 B.C. to 700 A.D., were being studied by archeologists.
Unfortunately, thieves broke into the royal tomb of
the Lord of Sipan, getting away with unbelievable treasures.
One of the most valuable artifacts stolen from the
royal tomb was an extremely rare Moche backflap made
of gold, copper, and silver. Moche warrior-priests
would wear the backflapas armor during battle to shield
their
backsides.
 |
 |
The
backflap on display. Tomb looters in Peru. |
Ten years later, in August 1997, black market smugglers
Denis Garcia and Orlando Mendez, both of Miami, were
looking for a buyer for a rare Peruvian artifact—a
gold backflap. Garcia contacted an art brokerage firm
in New York to see if he could arrange a sale.Unbeknownst
to him, the company was part of an FBI undercover operation
targeting art theft, and he was referred to a Philadelphia
based undercover FBI agent who posed as an art broker.
The undercover agent contacted Garcia, who described
the item for sale. Garcia’s selling price: a
cool $1.6 million. Garcia gave the "art broker" a
few days to contemplate the offer before calling him
back and arranging a face-to-face meeting.
This initial meeting took place at a rest stop in
New Jersey. Garcia did not have the backflap with him.
A deal was made to contact the agent when it was ready
for delivery. Nearly four weeks later, Mendez called
the agent to say the backflap was in New York. They
arranged to meet at the same rest stop.
The FBI agents arrived first. Then, a black limo bearing
diplomatic tags pulled up; it was Garcia, Mendez, and
Francisco Iglesias, who introduced himself as Consul
General of Panama and presented his business card.
The backflap was in a suitcase in the trunk of the
car. The undercover agent told the group he wanted
them to drive to Philadelphia to have an art expert
authenticate the item. When they arrived and pulled
into a hotel parking lot, Garcia opened the trunk to
reveal the priceless artifact. At that point, the trio
was surrounded and the men were arrested.
 |
 |
The
recovered backflap. Consul General Iglesias |
Based on his diplomatic status, Consul General Iglesias
was released. He is living in Panama. There is a warrant
for his arrest, should he return to the United States.
Garcia and Mendez pled guilty to interstate transportation
of stolen property and smuggling. In July 1998, the
backflap was turned over to the Peruvian Government
in an official ceremony.
Philadelphia home
|
