Posted on 04/26/2003 6:35:15 PM PDT by Int
Journalists grilled over theft of Iraqi treasures
Dominic Timms Friday April 25, 2003 The Guardian
US officials have begun a detailed investigation into journalists and soldiers returning from Iraq - dubbed "Operation Iraqi Heritage" - after a Fox News employee was charged with smuggling a cache of Iraqi paintings and bonds out of the country.
Benjamin Johnson, a satellite engineer for the Fox News Network, was stopped and searched at Dulles International Airport in Virginia yesterday.
US custom officials found 12 Iraqi paintings and an undisclosed number of Iraqi bonds - in effect blank cheques that can be cashed with ease - in his luggage.
Johnson, the only person so far to be charged, was later fired by Fox News, where he has worked since January 1997.
Other journalists have been dealt with less harshly.
Boston Herald reporter Jules Crittenden was stopped and searched last Saturday after his return from Kuwait. Customs officials confiscated several souvenirs, including a painting, but he was not charged. The Herald backed its reporter, saying he had declared the items and co-operated with customs.
However, US custom officials say other journalists and soldiers could face charges after they displayed a stash of looted Iraqi trophies, including gold-plated firearms, ornamental knives, government bonds and 15 paintings, which they said had been seized at US airports.
"The people who saw these golden guns as a golden opportunity will now find themselves facing stiff penalties and the full force of our criminal justice system," Gordon England, the deputy secretary of the department of homeland security, told a news conference.
"It is a crime to either bring or ship stolen property into the US."
In a separate inquiry, US military detectives are investigating five soldiers for the theft over $1m hidden in Saddam Hussein's many palaces.
Lieutenant-Colonel Philip DeCamp, commander of the 4th Battalion, 64th Infantry Regiment, said US troops had recovered more than $600m from the palaces and some troops had tried to steal more than $1m in $100 bills.
Among the suspects are an officer and a senior non-commissioned officer.
Meanwhile, a note posted on Johnson's website read: "To all of my friends and family: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your thoughts, prayers, and messages. Now that I am back home safely, I find myself on another journey that I never expected. And I walk this road easier knowing that you are all still with me. Thank you, Ben.
I hate a thief, don't you? I hate it when people steal from me. And if a thief will steal from you, he'll steal from me, too, if given the opportunity.
I also hate opportunists. But that's another story.
Wait just a rock-pickin' minute. Souvenirs??? Including a painting??? What the hell? He "declared" the item??? That's it? What the f***?
Sounds a lot better than a AK-47.
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