Paintings, stone axes repatriated to Peru in LA ceremony

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. officials have repatriated 16 cultural items to the Peruvian government including paintings, historical documents and stone axes. The FBI returned the items to representatives of Peru at a ceremony Friday in Los Angeles. The objects include historical documents and a 17th century painting stolen from a Peruvian church in 1992. They also include four stone axes seized in Indiana in 2004 from an amateur archaeologist’s collection. Authorities encourage art and artifact buyers to review the FBI’s stolen art file before making a purchase to find out if the items were reported as stolen.