Fox News Engineer Charged With Smuggling |
| Posted by: Marc Flemming | | A television news engineer faces smuggling charges after attempting to bring into the United States 12 stolen Iraqi paintings, monetary bonds and other items, federal officials said Wednesday.
A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., charges that Benjamin James Johnson, 27, tried to bring the paintings into this country last Thursday. They were contained in a large cardboard box that was examined by Customs agents at Dulles International Airport outside Washington.
An affidavit filed with the criminal complaint says that Johnson, who accompanied U.S. troops in Baghdad, gathered up the paintings at a palace that belonged to Uday Hussein, one of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's sons. The paintings depict Saddam and Uday.
Johnson, who initially told Customs officials he was given the paintings by Iraqi citizens, said he had planned to keep them "for decoration" and to provide one to his employer, the affidavit says. It is U.S. policy that all such items belong to the Iraqi people.
Johnson worked for six years as a satellite truck engineer for Fox News Channel, which fired him after learning he had admitted to taking the paintings, a network statement said.
"This is an unfortunate incident and his supervisor took the appropriate action for this transgression," the statement added.
The case was one of several to be detailed later Wednesday by Customs officials, who have seized other Iraqi artworks, weapons and other materials people have tried to smuggle into this country.
Museums, businesses, government offices and homes were widely looted in Baghdad after the fall of Saddam's regime. Among the items stolen were thousands of artworks and other antiquities, some thousands of years old, from Iraq's vast collections of items from Assyrian, Mesopotamian, Sumerian and other cultures.
An examination of Johnson's luggage also turned up 40 Iraqi Monetary Bonds and a visitor's badge from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait. Johnson, who lives in Alexandria, Va., has not been arrested but is to appear before a federal magistrate next Tuesday.
Source: Not Fox News (AP) | | Reply To this Message
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| Posted by: bitwiz44 | | I would have said i bought them at a Iraqi garage sale or a suvenear Shop...Duhh!  | | Reply To this Message
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| Posted by: photek | | very sad situation indeed. as if fox wasn't already making themselves look like fools [nice work geraldo]....
and why was this guy fired when geraldo was allowed to stay in iraq even after he lied where he was and committed one of the most blatant acts of utter stupidity with his pictures in the sand?
at the same time, many people will jump on this to make some sort of anti war view, which is just stupid. | | Reply To this Message
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| Posted by: Rambo | |
| quote: |
| when geraldo was allowed to stay in iraq |
Geraldo went to kuwait. They should have taken him off the air. He's a cheese bag.
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| Posted by: Sean Kelly | |
| quote: |
Originally posted by Marc Flemming
.. Johnson, who initially told Customs officials he was given the paintings by Iraqi citizens, said he had planned to keep them "for decoration" and to provide one to his employer, the affidavit says. It is U.S. policy that all such items belong to the Iraqi people.
Johnson worked for six years as a satellite truck engineer for Fox News Channel, which fired him after learning he had admitted to taking the paintings, a network statement said..
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What kind of twit admits that he'd stolen them? He coulda gotten away with this had he just elaborated a bit more on his lie and stuck to it.. 
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| Posted by: Vepsu/FIN | |
| quote: |
Originally posted by grets
 are you jealous suomi? |
No matter how much money you have, still you can't buy brains...
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| Posted by: frenchfries | |
| quote: |
Originally posted by grets
are you jealous suomi? |
Jealous of what? money, freedom, lifestyle? There is absolutely nothing to jealous at !
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| Posted by: Vepsu/FIN | |
| quote: |
Originally posted by frenchfries
Jealous of what? money, freedom, lifestyle? There is absolutely nothing to jealous at ! |
Thanks, yes i rather concired myself to this group: "OLD EUROPE".
For me it means using your brains, don't believe your govermenst bull$hit...
And yes i am full of that $hit, that the pro-war people say thay dont't insult us without that they insult us all the time.
Yes, i am generalize this...you people in USA must be the stupiest in whole world...what a waist...
Yes, i am speaking people like Rambo, who has missed the the first movie," : First Blood" and the meaning of that...Against whom he fought about...?????????????????????????????
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| Posted by: photek | |
| quote: |
Originally posted by Vepsu/FIN
Yes, i am generalize this...you people in USA must be the stupiest in whole world...what a waist...
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haha. another anti war protestor proves his worthlessness.
congratulations. you join the list of french, search, and a couple of others as obviously just getting bitter and frustrated that your viewpoint is just you getting a bit too bored on the internet [not the anti war viewpoint mind you, which has it's strongholds], but i mean yours personally.
there there, it's ok. maybe one day there will be an issue you can provide some insight into. keep trying. that's the spirit!
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Post-9/11 Era Forum: Fox News Engineer Charged With Smuggling
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