Miramar Beach Man Forfeits Foreign Antiquities to United States

Pensacola, Florida - Matthew Weinberg, of Miramar Beach, Florida, forfeited to the United States multiple antiquities dating as far back as circa 3000 BC. The seizure and forfeiture was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "Thanks to the hard work of my tenacious attorneys, these improperly obtained foreign antiquities have been recovered and will be repatriated back to their countries of origin. Special thanks go to our federal law enforcement partners for investigating these violations of our anti-smuggling statutes, and for ensuring these ancient artifacts are returned to their rightful owners."

Court documents reveal that in July 2025, agents from Homeland Security Investigations were notified by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office in Pensacola, Florida, regarding the detention of a shipment inbound to Pensacola International Airport from the United Arab Emirates. The shipment was detained but was destined for Weinberg. The manifest for the shipment claimed it contained two terracotta objects valued at less than $200 but, in truth, upon appraisal after detention, it contained two cuneiform tablets valued at over $15,000 in total that date back to 3000-2000 BC from modern day Iraq. Multiple other shipments to Weinberg were then investigated, and it was determined that he obtained shipments, contrary to law, from Iran, Egypt, and Cyprus as well. All of these shipments were significantly undervalued on their manifests just as were the tablets from Iraq. These shipments included bronze figures, ceramic architectural models, and terracotta idols.

In March 2026, federal agents executed a search and seizure warrant on Weinberg's residence in Miramar Beach. Seized from his residence were, amongst other things, ancient Hebrew Torah scrolls, scroll artwork originating from China, and items from circa 712-525 BC Egypt. Below are sample images of some of the items seized from Weinberg by the Department of Homeland Security:

Due to import restrictions agreed upon by the United States and Iraq, Egypt, Cyprus, and other countries, Weinberg was prohibited from the possession of these artifacts. In addition to forfeiting the artifacts to the United States for repatriation back to their countries of origin, Weinberg forfeited $75,000 in United States currency as proceeds of violations of federal anti-smuggling statutes. He will also be barred for two years from selling or purchasing any foreign antiquities or artifacts.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Pensacola, Florida. The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Winifred L. Acosta and David L. Goldberg.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.