The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

This fang of masonry topped bedrock on the south side of Duchal Castle, looking down on the ravine in which runs the Blacketty Water, is thought to be the remains of a keep or tower-house, probably built a century later than the wall of enciente, in the 14th century, but now too dilapidated to date properly.

The rebellion led by the Earl of Lennox and Robert 2nd Lord Lyle in 1489, was vigorously opposed by the young King James IV - probably rather more vigorously than his opponents were expecting! When Lord Lyle was ordered to forfeit his holdings and refused, shutting himself up here within the walls of Duchal Castle, the king came after him!

Accounts vary as to exactly what happened, but it seems certain that the king's great bombard canon Mons Meg, together with another canon that was subsequently named Duchal, were brought here to dig the rebels out of Duchal. Mons Meg was a fearsome weapon, with a calibre of 20 inches and although it could only be fired eight to ten times a day, because of the heat it generated, it could fire a 400 pound projectile up to 2 miles!!

The siege is thought to have been supervised by Sir John Semple, Sheriff of Renfrew, who was charged with providing the oxen needed to haul the artillery into place, and John Sandilands of Hillhouse, who was responsible for obtaining sufficient men from Paisley to level a roadway for the guns. The king himself is believed to have arrived in time to witness the opening of hostilities.

How long those hostilities lasted is also the subject of differing accounts. Some say the defenders surrendered as soon as they saw Mons Meg being hauled into place, other say that Duchal was severely damaged by the bombardment and subsequently had to undergo major repairs.

Robert 2nd Lord Lyle, forfeited the month before the siege in June 1489, was subsequently pardoned and the act of forfeiture was rescinded and annulled by the king and parliament on the 5th February 1489-90, the clerk register being ordered to expunge it from the records. He was at the same time restored to his office of justiciary. There wasn't much disincentive to rebellion in the Middle Ages!

Robert 2nd Lord Lyle was succeeded by his eldest son, Robert 3rd Lord Lyle, who died in 1511, leaving, a son, James, 4th lord, a minor. The king assigned his wardship and marriage to James Bethune, archbishop of Glasgow, whose niece he later married, being the daughter of David Bethune of Criech. He had a son, John, who predeceased him, ending the line of the Lyles of Duchal

In 1544, Duchal Castle was purchased by the Porterfields, who occupied it until 1710 when much of it was pulled down so that its stone could be used to build a new house further down the River Gryffe, which exists to this day as Duchal House.

In 1854 the estate was acquired by the Shaw-Stewarts of Ardgowan for use as a shooting lodge. Duchal was sold in 1910 and again in 1915, when it was purchased by the shipowner Joseph Paton Maclay, 1st Baron Maclay, whose family still occupy the house.

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

NOGALES, Ariz. - An Inukton Pipeline Robot travels down a pipe too small for a person to crawl through in Nogales on Sept. 20, 2014. The Inukton has a camera mounted to the front of it and the Border Patrol Agents can control the robot and view what its seeing from a control box. The Inukton Pipeline Robot was purchased with Asset Forfeiture Funds, so it did not cost the taxpayers any money. Official DHS/CBP photo by Josh Denmark

The Province is investing over $5 million in Civil Forfeiture Office (CFO) proceeds to take further action on the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry (MWCI) recommendations and support the prevention of violence against women and youth crime prevention initiatives.

Twelve grants, for a total of more than $845,000, are being provided to key organizations to address the MWCI recommendations including:

More information: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2014/03/over-5-million-to-fund-mwc...

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

We are told by some sources that this was "the site of an occasional residence of David I and his successors, down to Robert the Bruce." I guess the truth of that depends on your definition of the word site and how extensive an area it can cover! In my opinion, the statement is incorrect. No evidence of the castle site being used before the current castle was built has been found by excavation. However, where there's smoke there's usually fire and the story of an occasional Royal residence in the vicinity is probably based on metamorphosed fact!

The land south of here rises steadily, and although it is all farmed these days, with a scattering of small towns and villages, more than a thousand years ago, when this was part of the kingdom of Strathclyde, this country would have been forested, rising to moorland further south. Consequently, the ancient kings of Strathclyde are believed to have had a hunting lodge at Cadzow, prior to that kingdom's assimilation into Scotland in the 12th century. The site of that hunting lodge, which was probably the same as that used until the time of Robert Bruce, is not known, but there are theories.

The easiest idea of course is to attach the legend to the existing site and say the hunting lodge was here, but as I have said, there is no archaeological evidence for that. There are three other sites nearby, that may be Cadzow's predecessor.

There is reported to have been an old house three-quarters of a mile north-west of here, at a site now covered by modern housing and a residential street called Fergus Gardens. Canmore states that "Local authorities consider that the predecessor of Cadzow Castle stood on an eminence by the Coven Burn. The hill is occupied by a modern house called Castlehill." Whatever antiquity may have been here is long gone.

The next possibility lies about 350 yards south of here. It is an earthwork, perched on the lip of the Avon gorge. There is no evidence as to how old it is, other than the discovery a Roman coin in it some years ago. It might be Iron Age.

The last possibility, and my favourite, is a motte down beside the Clyde, just under 2 miles north of here. It is hidden in woodland beside the M74, just south of the northbound Roadchef Services! It stands very close to where the Dukes of Hamilton built their palace - which may not be coincidental.

Wherever the royal hunting lodge may have been, the lands of Cadzow appear to have made their way into the hands of the Comyns in the 13th century and following their forfeiture by Robert Bruce, they were granted by him to the Hamiltons.

10 years after the civil forfeiture program began, forfeiture proceeds now total $65.8M. The program takes away criminals' ill-gotten gains and compensates victims of crime and invests in anti-gang outreach.

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016PSSG0190-001682

The York Buildings Company, who acquired Invermark Castle after its forfeiture, were a London waterworks company that branched out into the buying and selling of forfeited property, which they usually then proceeded to "asset strip". Their actions in Scotland were little short of vandalism, but Invermark at least, survived their attention.

In 1729 the York Buildings Company agent estimated the value of the "Castle of Innermark, of stone and slate roof," at £365, and reported that "reparations necessary thereto is one hundred and ninety pound twelve shilling, which it must have in all haste to prevent it goeing to ruine." These repairs appear to have been made, as the castle continued to be habitable until 1803, when it was gutted and the outbuildings razed in order to provide materials for the new parish church and manse. The last regular occupants had been the factor for the York Buildings Company, who died there in 1745, and his two daughters, who until 1750 shared the old tower with the Rev. Robert Ker, minister of Lochlee.

ROMA ARCHEOLOGIA E RESTAURO ARCHITETTURA 2021: USA / ITALY - "A Trove of Artifacts Officials Call ‘Stolen’ Are Returned to Italy. The New York Times (15/12/2021) [= testo completo]; & NYC - Manhattan District Attorney’s Office & General Fabrizio Di Michele (15/21/2021). S.v., Il Magistrato Paolo Giorgio Ferri, “…Gli Americani…Ladri di Dèi!", VIDEO (2010) & NYT (20/06/2020). wp.me/pbMWvy-2ik

Foto: Il Magistrato Paolo Giorgio Ferri; in: NYT (20/06/2020).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/51748828202

1). USA / ITALY - "Manhattan D.A.’s Office Returns 200 Antiquities to Italy." Manhattan District Attorney’s Office & General Fabrizio Di Michele, NYC (15/21/2021).

Foto: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, NYC (15/21/2021).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/51749905633

Almost 100 artifacts seized from Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. today announced the return of 200 antiquities valued at an estimated $10 million to the people of Italy during a repatriation ceremony attended by Italy Consul General Fabrizio Di Michele, Italian Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (“TPC”) Brigadier General Roberto Riccardi, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Deputy Special Agent in Charge Erik Rosenblatt.

Fonte / source:

--- Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, NYC (15/21/2021).

www.manhattanda.org/manhattan-d-a-s-office-returns-200-an...

2). USA / ITALY - A Trove of Artifacts Officials Call ‘Stolen’ Are Returned to Italy. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is repatriating 200 objects it confiscated from major museums and collections. Many were tied to one dealer. The New York (15/12/2021).

Foto: The New York (15/12/2021).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/51750536265

From the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, they seized a 2,500-year-old wine cup and six other items that long predated Caesar. From Fordham University in the Bronx, they took roughly a hundred Greco-Roman artifacts valued at $2 million. More antiquities were seized from museums in San Antonio and Cleveland and galleries and homes in New York City and Long Island.

All told, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has quietly confiscated 160 objects tied to one man, Edoardo Almagià, a 70-year-old Rome-based antiquities dealer who is accused in court papers of a three-decade-long smuggling spree.

On Wednesday, 150 Almagià items, and 50 more linked to other suspected traffickers, were ceremoniously delivered to the Italian consulate in New York in what officials say is the largest single repatriation of relics from America to Italy. The value of the 200 returned items — which include painted jars and ornate vessels, marble busts and ceramic figurines — was put at $10 million.

“For years, prestigious museums and private collectors across the United States prominently displayed these Italian historical treasures even though their very presence in America constituted evidence of cultural heritage crimes,” the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., said in a statement.

Brig. Gen. Roberto Riccardi, of a cultural heritage unit of the Carabinieri, Italy’s national military police force, who flew in to take possession of the items, said that statutes of limitations had made it very difficult for Italy to prosecute Mr. Almagià. “What is most important,” he said, “is that these very important archaeological findings come back that are part of our culture identity.”

Investigators said that the individuals and institutions that held the items surrendered them willingly after being told of Mr. Almagià’s involvement. Most had purchased the items from intermediaries who had obtained them from Mr. Almagià, a Princeton graduate who lived in New York, and sold artworks there, from 1980 to 2006.

Speaking about the forfeitures of the objects, Matthew Bogdanos, the assistant district attorney who leads the office’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, said: “To their credit, every person and organization we’ve dealt with so far regarding Almagià has agreed with us that we are correct — the items were stolen property.”

Mr. Almagià — who is under investigation for, among other things, illegally transporting hundreds of Italian artifacts into the United States and filing false customs documents — at once denied the allegations against him and discounted any import violations as insignificant in an animated telephone interview.

“There are thousands of items that travel around the world without papers, and they are only asking for papers now, and in the past they never had such requirements,” Mr. Almagià said, referring to the trade in Roman-era antiquities, which is severely regulated under Italian law and under longstanding agreements between Italy and the United States.

“Why are they doing this now, I wonder,” he said, adding: “So much money is being spent to persecute dealers when it can be used to repair Italian museums, where so many similar items are already at risk.”

Mr. Almagià has been investigated on and off by Italian and American authorities for decades. A chronology of his legal entanglements, dating back to at least 1996, was included in court papers released earlier this month related to the case of the billionaire Michael H. Steinhardt, who surrendered 180 stolen objects, 10 of which were sold to him by Mr. Almagià.

In 2000, Mr. Almagià was stopped at Kennedy Airport with two frescoes stolen from the Roman town of Herculaneum, the papers said. In 2006, the year he left the United States, federal agents raided his East 78th Street apartment. As a result, he relinquished six items there that were later declared illicit.

And in 2012, an Italian court acquitted him of directing the looting of ancient Roman and Etruscan tombs. The court, however, upheld the confiscation of all relics in his possession and said his dealings had contributed to “one of the greatest sacks of Italian cultural heritage based on the sheer amount of stolen goods” he handled.

Asked about his past brushes with the law, Mr. Almagià said: “I sold things from Italy, definitely yes. There are objects in U.S. museums that are undoubtedly stolen from excavations but when they are not objects of the greatest importance, I think they should remain there so they can be appreciated by American visitors.”

This case and other recent actions, like the Steinhardt seizures, show that Mr. Bogdanos’s unit is reaching far back in time and across state lines to confiscate objects. The seizures, Mr. Bogdanos said, are warranted by a state statute that lets prosecutors return stolen property to its “rightful owners” regardless of when or where they were stolen, and because New York was “the locus of conspiracy.”

All four of the museums involved in the case said that after reviewing the district attorney’s evidence, they decided to voluntarily give up their Almagià-related items.

Hardest hit was the Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art at Fordham University, which surrendered close to a hundred of the 260 items donated in 2007 by a single alumnus, William D. Walsh, who died in 2013 and was unaware of their checkered provenance, investigators said. His collection comprised Greco-Roman items dating at least as far back as 700 B.C. and included world-class examples of portraiture and pottery.

His donation, and about 40 subsequent gifts, allowed the university to set up a free museum and a teaching and research institution devoted to studying ancient Mediterranean art. One of the seized objects, a 19-inch-high terra-cotta hydria, or water jar, depicting the deeds of Hercules, appeared on the cover of the museum’s 2012 catalog.

In a statement, Fordham called the seizures and repatriation an “appropriate action.”

“Since Fordham received the antiquities in 2007,” the statement added, “it has been transparent regarding the objects’ provenance or lack thereof, including the publication of a catalog in 2012, in part so that other researchers had full access to the relevant information about the collection. The University still has more than 200 antiquities in its collection, which will be reorganized to optimize their use in Fordham’s teaching museum.”

The Getty said in a statement: “Most of the objects being deaccessioned were accepted as gifts to the Getty 25 years ago. Whenever new information about the provenance of objects comes to the attention of Getty, we conduct a thorough review and return objects if warranted by those new findings.”

The San Antonio Museum of Art, which gave up five Greco-Roman jars and plates and a group of pottery fragments, said: “We are pleased that the District Attorney has formally announced that the objects will now be returned to the government of Italy. We will continue to work actively to remedy any legitimate ownership claims of which the museum becomes aware.” The Cleveland Museum of Art also said it accepted the validity of the seizure of three items purchased directly from Mr. Almagià in the mid-1990s.

Mr. Bogdanos said he expected further seizures and court proceedings as a result of the Almagià case. He said a potential extradition would be difficult, but added that “there are many other museums with Almagià items around the country.”

Fonte / source, foto:

--- The New York (15/12/2021).

www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/arts/design/antiquities-repatr...

Foto: The New York (15/12/2021).

www.flickr.com/photos/imperial_fora_of_rome/51749656586

3). USA / ITALY - Il Magistrato Paolo Ferri, “…Gli Americani…Ladri di Dèi!", VIDEO (2010) & NYT (20/06/2020). wp.me/pbMWvy-qP

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

The US Marshals and GSA are selling 2,000 dresses and accessories near Baltimore Nov. 18-20, 2015. These dresses were seized by the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the criminal conviction of an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, woman who had embezzled more than $5 million from her employer in order to, among other things, keep her wedding boutique afloat. She funneled about $1.8 million of the stolen funds into her store. Net proceeds from this sale of bridal dresses and other wedding-related goods from the Couture Miss shop will go back to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the non-profit that employed Ephonia Green.

Photo by Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals

Woodland, California. 24, Oct., 2019- The U.S. Marshals and Apple Auctioneering held a preview of 149 cars to be auctioned on Saturday, Oct. 26. The classic, luxury and performance vehicles are from a federal civil case involving the owners of the defunct DC Solar company in the Eastern District of California.

The preview will continue through Friday, Oct., 25, it’s open to the public and bidding is now open online.

Auction webpage: appletowing.hibid.com/catalog/185288/u-s--marshals--live-...

Photo By: Shane T. McCoy / US Marshals