The government could decide to offer these looters a “salvage” reward for turning in antiquities yet correctly refuses to follow that path. The reward would encourage the more unsophisticated excavation projects of these looters, which might destroy or decay the antiquities and disorganize the complex excavation projects.

True’s trial intends to emblematize the Italian government’s new focus on discrediting the buyers of these antiquities after years of non-enforcement of the cultural patrimony laws. The night looter hands it to the smuggler, who passes Italian customs and gives it to the dealer in Switzerland, who sells it to an American buyer, who clears it with American customs. The farthest removed from the actual looting of the artifacts, the buyer now bears the brunt of the work in Italy to enforce these cultural patrimony laws against the night looters and Mafioso conspirators. As the only one prosecuting a foreign museum professional, True’s trial cleverly masquerades under the promise of her factual guilt its other purpose of dispiriting looters and enforcing Italian laws at home. An American has unwittingly transformed into utilitarian food for Italian legal enforcement.