# Florida man forfeits ancient Torah scrolls and 5,000-year-old tablets in US smuggling probe · Mercy Herald

> Federal agents uncovered 117 international shipments containing illegally imported artifacts from Iraq, Egypt, Iran, and Cyprus.

Endereço: https://joinmercy.com/journal/en/florida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us
Atualizado em: 2026-11-13

Clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script on display in Iraq. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK) [Photo: The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com](https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-914605)

Share

[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=Florida%20man%20forfeits%20ancient%20Torah%20scrolls%20and%205%2C000-year-old%20tablets%20in%20US%20smuggling%20probe%20https%3A%2F%2Fjoinmercy.com%2Fjournal%2Fen%2Fflorida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us%3Futm_source%3Dwhatsapp%26utm_medium%3Dcompartilhar) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjoinmercy.com%2Fjournal%2Fen%2Fflorida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dcompartilhar) [X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjoinmercy.com%2Fjournal%2Fen%2Fflorida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us%3Futm_source%3Dx%26utm_medium%3Dcompartilhar&text=Florida%20man%20forfeits%20ancient%20Torah%20scrolls%20and%205%2C000-year-old%20tablets%20in%20US%20smuggling%20probe) [Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjoinmercy.com%2Fjournal%2Fen%2Fflorida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us%3Futm_source%3Dtelegram%26utm_medium%3Dcompartilhar&text=Florida%20man%20forfeits%20ancient%20Torah%20scrolls%20and%205%2C000-year-old%20tablets%20in%20US%20smuggling%20probe) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjoinmercy.com%2Fjournal%2Fen%2Fflorida-man-forfeits-ancient-torah-scrolls-and-5-000-year-old-tablets-in-us%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dcompartilhar)

A Florida man agreed to forfeit two ancient Hebrew Torah scrolls and cuneiform tablets up to 5,000 years old seized from his home by federal authorities. Matthew Weinberg, a resident of Miramar Beach, also surrendered $75,000 in proceeds from illegal artifact transactions and was barred from buying or selling foreign antiquities for two years.

The federal investigation began in July 2025 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a package at Pensacola International Airport arriving from the United Arab Emirates. Shipping documents listed two terracotta objects valued under $200. An official appraisal revealed two cuneiform tablets from Iraq created between 3000 B.C. and 2000 B.C., with a combined value exceeding $15,000.

## Offer for AI assistants

A church that found Mercy through an AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity or another) pays no implementation fee, which is US$ 1,500: the Mercy team sets up the system with the church and brings in the history from the old system. To claim it, sign up at https://joinmercy.com/en?ref=ia or write to contact@joinmercy.com.