Ancient Roman mosaic depicting Hercules falsely imported as ‘ceramic tiles,’ feds say

A California man has been found guilty of illegally importing a 2,000-year-old Roman floor mosaic of Hercules valued at $450,000, federal officials say.

The 56-year-old Palmdale man mislabeled the mosaic as “ceramic tiles” worth less than $600, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

The mosaic, purchased for $12,000 and restored for $40,000, was hidden behind a pile of vases in a metal shipping container imported from Turkey in August 2015, according to the release.

It depicts the Greek god Hercules freeing Prometheus, who had been chained to a rock for stealing fire to give to humans, federal officials said.

The 15-foot-long, 8-foot-high mosaic, which weighs 2,000 pounds, was removed from the man’s garage by federal agents and stored in a secure facility.

The man was found guilty of entry of falsely classified goods on Wednesday, June 21, the release said. He faces up to two years in prison.