Ecce Homo.
Posted on 04/09/2005 8:56:43 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
Max Ary, the former director of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center has been indicted on charges of stealing artifacts from the space flight museum in Hutchinson, Kan., and selling them, according to a press statement released today by the U.S. Justice Department.
In the 11-count indictment, Ary was charged with two counts of wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; two counts of theft of government property; and three counts of interstate transportation of stolen property. In an 11th count, the government is seeking the forfeiture of any proceeds Ary obtained from the alleged crimes.
"We are prosecuting this case on behalf of NASA and others who have entrusted valuable historical artifacts to the Cosmosphere's keeping," Eric Melgren, U.S. Attorney said. "It is significant to all Americans that the history of this nation's heroic exploration of space be preserved and retold to each new generation, and it is important to the citizens of Kansas that the integrity of one of the state's most valuable educational resources be protected."
Ary was the president and CEO of the Cosmosphere from February 1976 to September 2002. Today, he is director of the Omniplex Science Center in Oklahoma City.
According to the indictment, the Cosmosphere has received on loan artifacts from the American space program provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Smithsonian, the United States Air Force, the National Air and Space Museum and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
As director, Ary signed loan agreements with NASA accepting responsibility for the safekeeping of the artifacts and acknowledging the conditions of the loan, which prohibited the objects from being sold. The Cosmosphere did not receive title to the artifacts and it could not unilaterally dispose of NASA property without obtaining NASA's prior authorization.
The indictment alleges that Ary:
Ary had no legal authority, the indictment alleges, to sell objects belonging to the museum or to NASA. The list of artifacts Ary is alleged to have sold includes:
During the spring of 2003, an internal audit by the Cosmosphere turned up 26 artifacts that had been loaned by NASA to the Cosmosphere and were missing from the collection. The indictment alleges that Ary sold six of them, loaned five of them to others without NASA's permission, and traded seven to other collectors. Other items are missing and unaccounted for.
"We hope to have all the items returned to their rightful place in the Cosmosphere's collection as soon as possible," said current Cosmophere president and CEO Jeff Ollenburger. "These pieces of international space history belong to the public, and they must be preserved for the benefit of future generations."
If convicted, Ary faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the wire fraud and mail fraud counts. He faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years and a $250,000 fine on each count of theft and each count of transportation of stolen properties.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and NASA's Office of Inspector General. As in any criminal case, an indictment merely alleges criminal conduct and the persons charged are presumed not guilty until and unless proven guilty.
"We want to thank our many supporters who are standing beside us during this difficult time," said Ollenburger. "We want to assure everyone that the Cosmosphere remains one of the world's most significant space museums and remains open for visitors."
Disclosure: collectSPACE Editor Robert Pearlman is among the collectors who unknowingly purchased items stolen from the Cosmosphere. In response to a request by NASA, he has surrendered the artifact - an Apollo spacesuit strap-on pocket - to NASA's Inspector General.
Not for long I bet!
This is sad. The good news is, perhaps we can use it as a precedent for prosecution when someday, various White House silverware etc. stolen by a certain infamous couple comes up on eBay...
Hopefully before the 2008 election.
I thought this article was about Sandy Berger.....He got on the interstate to get home didn't he? Burger should be behind bars for the next 30 years! Man! Had a Republican done this, it would be the electric chair within days!
Oh I forgot, Berger was doing stealing federal top secrete papers from the archives for the clintons and they are off limits for accusations of crime, federal or other wise.
Not for long I bet!
They may want to audit their collection. It doesn't look like he goes for high value stuff- the average take per item was less than $3000.
He must have paid taxes on the income. There is no mention of the IRS going after him.
We had a director of a state historic museum here in Connecticut a few years ago that had sold off many valuable and a few priceless Colt artifacts. The scam was discovered but very few of the Colt items were recovered for the state.
Ecce Homo.
The good thing about this case is that this guy violated the terms of a contract, open & shut, finito. It's not as cut and dried when Klintons and their staffers steal silverware and couches out of the White House. When Congressmen leave office, they get to take furniture and computers with them, so it's real easy for senior govt. officials to blur the lines and plead ignorance.
But in this case, it was written into the contract black and white that the stuff was on loan and he wasn't allowed to sell it. He signed it and he will get burned.
On a side note, the writer of this article was pretty cool to return the stolen stuff that he bought to NASA. Some people would have fought it in court. This guy was pretty cool about giving it back and taking the loss, although I suspect that a judge will make the museum director reimburse him.
This kind of conscience-less behavior should be grounds to pull security clearances and terminate further employment with the govt.
Thank y'all so much for the ping to this thread and your posts! Indeed, such activity must be exposed for what it is and not just a "boys will be boys" handwave...
Think of all the files that were sent to Little Rock for the Clinton Library/Bachelor Pad. I'll bet they have been thoroughly cleansed.
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