ROME, ITALY.- Pietro Casasanta, a man convicted of looting Italian archeological treasures, testified in the trial of former Getty curator Marion True and American art dealer Robert Hecht.

"From one day to the next we went from art experts to criminals. I saved thousands of artifacts that would have been ground into cement. ... It's a shame that they don't make me a senator for life."

He defended his actions saying underground antiquities trade was tolerated for decades until recently. According to Casasanta he saved art that would have been destroyed in development projects.

He explained how he and other looters would sell the works to themselves at international auction houses through dummy companies or straw men to give their finds a clean record.

He said, "This allowed me to legalize the piece and put a price on it. " he told the judges.