Kim Kardashian Denies Role In Smuggling Of Ancient Sculpture

LOS ANGELES, CA — Kim Kardashian on Wednesday disavowed any part of an alleged effort to smuggle an ancient Roman sculpture into the country from Italy. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are seeking the forfeiture of the marble and limestone statue depicting the lower half of a person draped in fabric.

According to court documents, Kardashian was in the process of acquiring the sculpture that had been illegally smuggled out of Italy. However, a spokesperson for the reality tv star, said Wednesday that Kardashian never purchased the piece and that the legal bruhaha was "the first that she has learned of its existence."

The statue resembling was seized at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport in June 2016 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after a company linked to Kardashian attempted to import it using the wrong documentation, the civil forfeiture action alleges. The five-ton work — valued at nearly $750,000 and addressed to "Kim Kardashian dba Noel Roberts Trust" in Woodland Hills — is known as a "Fragment of Myron's Samian Athena" dating back to the 1st or 2nd century AD, the document states.

"We believe that it may have been purchased using her name without authorization and because it was never received (and) she was unaware of the transaction," a Kardashian representative wrote in a statement. "We encourage an investigation and hope that it gets returned to the rightful owners."

The piece is was "looted, smuggled and illegally exported" from Italy, and Italian authorities have requested its repatriation, according to the document filed Friday in Los Angeles federal court.

The piece is currently in the custody of CBP, where it will remain subject to a judge's decision.

The forfeiture action names the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star as the consignee and importer of the sculpture.

Court documents allege Kardashian bought the sculpture in 2016 from the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Belgium. The Belgian art dealer helped decorate Kardashian's home in Calabasas.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austinn contributed to this report.