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PREET
BHARARA
UnitedStatesAttorneyforth~'SouthernDistrictofNewYorkBy:SHARONCOHENLEVINChief,AssetForfeitureUnitAssistantunitedStatesAttorneyOneSt.Andrew'sPlazaNewYork,NewYork10007,Tel.(212)637-1060UNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURTSOUTHERNDISTRICTOFNEWYORK
---x
UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA
-v.-
VERIFIEDCOMPLAINTO~ETYRkmOSAURUSBATAARSKELETON,
a'i¥;./~
LOT49315LISTEDONPAGE92
Qlr,
'THEHERITAGEAUCTIONSMAY20,2012NATURALHISTORYAUCTIONCATALOG;12Civ.
~2
CW
4760
Defendant-in-rem.
-----------x
PlaintiffUnitedStatesofAmerica,byitsattorney,'PreetBharara,UnitedStatesAttorneyfortheSouthernDistrictofNewYork,foritsverifiedcomplaintalleges,uponinformationandbelief,asfollows:I.JURISDICTIONANDVENUE
.'Ii
1.
ThisactionisbroughtbytheUnitedStatesofAtUericapursuanttoTitle18,unitedStatesCode,Sections545and981(a)(1)(C)andTitle19,UnitedStatesCode,Section1595a(c)seekingtheforfeitureofoneTyrannosaurusbataarskeleton,a/k/aLot49315listedonpage92oftheHeritageAuctionsMay20,2012Nat'uralHistoryAuctioncatalog(the"DefendantProperty")forits
 
returntotheGovernmentofMongolia.Aphotographofthe~efendantPropertyisattachedheretoasExhibitA.2.ThisCourthasjurisdictionpursuanttoTitle28,U~itedStatesCode,Sections1345and1355.3.VenueisproperunderTitle28,UnitedStatesCode,,Section1355(b)(1)(A)becausetheactsoromissionsgivingrisetotheforfeitureoccurredwithintheSouthernDistrictofNewYork.4.TheDefendantPropertyispresentlyinthecusto~yofCadoganTateFineArtinSunnyside,NewYork.
-~-1.•
II.PROBABLECAUSEFORFORFEITUREA.Background5.TheGobiDesert,whichislocatedinMongolia,isafe:ft±:Lefossilfieldofdinosaurrelics,includingthoseoftheTyrannosaurus(Tarbosaurus)bataar(the\\Bataar").6.TheBataar,anativeofMongolia,isadinosaurfromthela.teCreta.ceousperiod,approximately70millionyearsago.Bataarfossilswerefirstdiscoveredin1946,duringajointS6vi~t~MongolianexpeditiontotheGobiDesertintheMongolian6mn&goviProvince.7.SincetheSoviet-MongolianGobiDesertexpeditionsinthe1940stherehavebeenseveraladditionalexpeditions,allof
•T~
l.
whichhaverecoveredBataarfossilsfromtheGobiDesert.
2
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"
.
 
8.BataarfossilshaveonlybeenrecoveredfromasmallareaintheGobiDesertknownastheNemegtBasinlocatedinMongolia.B.MongolianLaw
9.
Sinceasearlyas
1924
theGovernmentofMongoliahas.prohibitedthepersonalornon-stateownerShipofitemsofculturalsignificance,suchastheDefendantProperty.
10.
ArticleThree,SectionOneoftheFirstMongolianConstitution,whichwasenactedin
1924,
specificallystates[b]ecause/sincealllandsandresourceswithintheirsubsoil,forests,waterandthenaturalresourceswithinthem,aswellasthecultureandcharacteristicsofMongoliawhichhavebeeninpossessionofthepeoplesinceancienttimesdomeetthecustomsofthepresentstateanditspeople,allassetsandresourcesmentionedaboveshallbeunderthepossessionofthepeople,thusmakingprivatepropertyofthemprohibited.
11.
AccordingtoMongolianlaw,dinosaurfossilsspecificallyarecategorizedaspropertyoftheGovernmentofMO,ng91ia.ArticleOneofthe
1924
MongolianRulestoProtectthe
-J•.'__"
Antiquitiesstatesthat"allantiqueitemsandrelicsofthepastfoundwithintheterritoryofMongoliashallbeownedbyMongolia.""Antiquesandrelics"arefurtherdefinedinArticleTwo,SectionFiveofthe
1924
MongolianRulestoProtecttheAntiquitiesas"[p]aleonthologicalitemssuchasremnantsofancientplantsandanimalsaswellasarcheologicalfindingsthatoughttobepreservedinmuseums."
3
I.,
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