As we learned from Nicolas Cage last month, when he explained to us why he requested a poisonous snake to calm him down on the set of his last project, Cage does not go half-hog. Which is why it is not totally surprising to learn that in 2007, the eccentric actor paid more than $270,000 for the 67-million-year-old skull of a Tyrannosaurus bataar (a close relative of the T-Rex), which at the time was the largest dinosaur skull to ever be auctioned. At the time, Cage outbid fellow actor and auction enthusiast Leonardo DiCaprio for what The Telegraph immortally described as “a ferocious-looking addition to his fossil collection.”

Six years later, though, there is a snag: according to the paper, the Beverly Hills auction house that sold the fossil to Cage obtained the skull through Eric Prokopi, “a self-described ‘commercial palaeontologist’ who pleaded guilty last year to illegally importing fossils from Mongolia and China.” (Judging by The Telegraph’s use of air quotes around “commercial palaeontologist,” we are guessing that even they thought the title seemed suspicious.)

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division is already on the case, tracking the origins of the other fossil loot sold by Prokopi. Sadly, they “could seize Cage’s skull as part of their investigation.” Mysteriously, Prokopi has reportedly never revealed where or how he acquired his fossils.

The Telegraph adds that Cage has a history of extravagant spending, which has been documented in court: “According to evidence submitted by Cage’s former business manager Samuel Levin in a court case in 2009, the actor also bought three homes, 22 cars, including nine Rolls Royces, and 47 purchases of ‘artwork and exotic items’ in the same year he bought the Tyrannosaurus skull.”

Related:Nicolas Cage on Joe, the Calming Effect of Venomous Snakes, and Why He’s Been So “Over-the-Top” in Movies Lately