Stolen, But we Gave the Other Stuff Back, so we Can Keep it: Truth, Justice, the American Way?

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Imagine, a band of moral cripples with money to burn buys stolen items from moral cripples on the earn, knowing full well, and not caring, that these are dodgy goods. When they'd grudgingly given some token ones back, they are surprised to learn that they are being asked to give back all of the dodgy goods.  So how do we read this from a dealers' lobbyist? "Cooperation Fails to End Confrontation" -

American Museums' efforts to cooperate with the cultural bureaucracies of source countries like Italy has not bought them the peace that was promised

Surely, stolen is stolen, even in plea-deal-complacent America. For "cooperate with the cultural bureaucracies" read: "do the right thing and hand back stolen goods". Is doing the right thing something which those in the antiquities business find unpalatable?

Vignette: KEEP stolen goods? Fano Man taps his head...