 The gangs of "tombaroli" looted tombs and other archaeological sites, as well as stealing other valuable antiquities from poorly-guarded museums and private collections.These were sold on to Medici and his fellow dealers, who then created false "paper trails" by arranging for the looted objects to be cleaned and restored.Medici and his associates then 'laundered' the objects through established dealers, including Symes and Robert E. Hecht, who then sold the artefacts on, at a vast profit, to major museums and wealthy private collectors.