Kim Kardashian.Photo: Amy Sussman/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank
Kim Kardashianhas denied buying a Roman statue Italian officials believe was “smuggled illegally” into the United States after the federal government filed a forfeiture claim for its return.
The statue was a part of a shipment described in customs forms as 40 pieces of “Antiques & Modern Furniture & Decorations Objects” valued at $745,882, with an importer listed as “Kim Kardashiandba [doing business as] Noel Roberts Trust,” the filing read.
A representative for Kardashian did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, though they toldNBC Newsthat the KKW Beauty mogul “never purchased this piece and this is the first that she has learned of its existence.”
“We believe it may have been purchased using her name without authorization and because it was never received, she was unaware of the transaction,” the spokesperson said. “We encourage an investigation and hope that it gets returned to the rightful owners.”
Kim Kardashian.Stefanie Keenan/Getty
Vervoodt did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. A representative for Vervoodt told CNN in a statement that “there is no evidence that this piece was illegally imported from Italy. Our client, as well as our gallery and the gallery from whom we’ve bought the piece, have always acted in good faith when dealing with the work.”
In the forfeiture claim, federal officials said that Italy’s Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage has “requested that all efforts be made for the return of the defendant statue to Italy in accordance with the bilateral agreement between Italy and the United States.”
source: people.com
