Here is an AP story that seems to collaborate what this story says. Coming from AP, that is saying a lot.
Note that they do not say that this brilliant old guy knowingly violated any laws, but that
“The laws regarding the removal or collection of cultural artifacts are extremely complex. State, federal and international laws are involved, Patty Gerstenblith, a professor of law at DePaul University in Chicago. Much depends on whether objects are considered stolen or were imported with a license, and international treaties dating back as far as 1987 come into play. The United States has various agreements with 15 countries that prohibit importation of items that were illegally acquired, she said, and some nations such as Egypt forbid the export of any cultural objects that were dug from the ground.”
If they are too complex to understand, they should be null and void as being vague.
This absolutely seems to be a case of anarcho-tyranny:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managerial_state
there goes our whole tax code