US Returns Two 8th-Century Buddha Statues Looted by Douglas Latchford to Indonesia
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, has announced the return of two stolen antiquities to Indonesia. The historic items were stolen by an organised looting network and sold through antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford to an American collector.
The repatriation of the two statues began in late 2021, when the American collector voluntarily surrendered 34 antiquities from Cambodia and Southeast Asia purchased from Latchford. The two artefacts were officially returned to Indonesia today in a repatriation ceremony at the Indonesian Consulate General in New York.
“Today, we celebrate the return of Indonesia’s cultural heritage to the Indonesian people,” said US Attorney Damian Williams. “My Office is fully committed to combating the illicit trade in stolen and looted art and antiquities. We will continue to work with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to stop unscrupulous actors from profiting from historic works of art. We also thank the collector of these works for voluntarily and safely returning them. It is a privilege for us to return these works of art to their homeland.”
The antiquities returned to Indonesia are two standing bronze statues of the Buddha Avalokiteshvara dating back to the 8th century, measuring approximately 16 and 20 inches in height respectively. The statues were illegally removed from archaeological sites in Indonesia by a group of looters decades ago and then sold to Latchford, who was based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Between 2003 and 2007, Latchford sold these historic objects and other Southeast Asian antiquities to the collector. Over the years, Latchford deceived and withheld information from the collector to conceal the fact that the items were stolen.
The two bronze statues returned to Indonesia were the subject of a civil forfeiture action filed in the district, identified as United States v. A Late 12th Century Bayon-Style Sandstone Sculpture Depicting Eight-Armed Avalokiteshvara, et al., 22 Civ. 229 (JMF), and designated as “Sculpture-12” and “Sculpture-27” in the civil forfeiture complaint.
Since 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in partnership with HSI, has investigated, identified, and repatriated dozens of stolen and smuggled antiquities from Cambodia and Southeast Asia that were previously in the possession of various individuals and institutions in the United States.
In 2019, Latchford was indicted in the Southern District of New York for orchestrating a years-long scheme to sell looted Cambodian and Southeast Asian antiquities on the international art market. The indictment was ultimately dismissed following Latchford’s death.
US Attorney Williams expressed his appreciation to HSI for their outstanding work in locating and repatriating the stolen and looted cultural property.