A noted Rhode Island hand surgeon has told a New York court he had what he thought were rare coins that shouldn't have left Italy under its laws.
The pieces turned out to be phony.
Dr. Arnold-Peter Weiss pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted criminal possession of stolen property. The case set the numismatic world abuzz.
The prominent coin collector is a Brown University orthopedics professor.
Antiquities found in Italy after 1909 can't be taken elsewhere. Weiss admitted he thought he'd had three ancient coins found after 1909.
Only after his arrest did an expert and Weiss discover they were fakes.
Weiss's promised sentence includes 70 hours of community service. He'll also have to write an article about the problem of trading in coins of uncertain origin.
