Judge rules US must return cursed $1B emerald to Brazil after 23 years

An 836-pound “cursed” emerald worth nearly $1 billion will be returned to Brazil after 15 years under lock and key in Los Angeles.The 180,000-carat Bahia Emerald was smuggled out of the South American country by two residents in 2001.A legal battle over the stone ensued in 2014 as about 10 individuals, corporations and the Brazilian government fought over ownership.On Thursday, a federal judge ruled in favor of a US Department of Justice motion to forfeit the gem to Brazil.The emerald was discovered in a beryl mine in 2001 and later smuggled out of the rainforest and to the US by mules — one of whom was reportedly attacked by a panther during the mission.

Once here, it reportedly survived flooding during Hurricane Katrina.Idaho businessman Kit Morrison eventually bought the gem for $1.3 million, but reported it missing a few years later, according to reports.Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators tracked it down to a Las Vegas vault, but since they could not figure out who owned the gem, they confiscated it.The back-and-forth over the massive jewel led to rumors that it might be cursed.

Other crazy claims that have followed the stone include that it was involved in Brazilian Mafia plots and that it was part of a $197 million banking transaction with Bernie Madoff, The Post reported in 2015.All the while, Brazilian officials argued it was a national treasure that belonged in a museum, according to the Washington Post.They called on their American counterparts to turn it over under a legal agreement between countries that allows for the exchange of evidence in criminal matters, since the gem was stolen.Finally, US District Judge Reggie Walton said American gem speculators had stalled long enough.

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