New York (CNN) -- The U.S. Attorney's office has announced the return of 19 pieces of stolen plates and china once belonging to Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi Kingdom's King Faisal II and the Royal Family to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Iraq to the United Nations.
According to New York authorities, the dishware was illegally imported into the United States and sold on Ebay.
Creative Time, a Manhattan based non-profit arts organization bought the Iraqi plates, some of which are ornately designed and feature the Iraqi seal, said a U.S. Attorney's office statement Tuesday. The arts organization loaned them to a creative art exhibition at Park Avenue Autumn, a New York City restaurant.
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"After being advised of the illegal status of the Iraqi plates, Creative Time, the owner of the Iraqi plates, agreed to voluntarily relinquish them to the custody of the United States Attorney's Office, so they could be returned to their rightful owner, the Republic of Iraq," the statement said.
The United States Marshals Service, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the Office's Asset Forfeiture Unit managed the investigation when authorities became aware in November that the plates were illegally in the country.
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