Feds Charge Space Museum Director With Stealing Artifacts

The Milwaukee Channel ^ | April 8, 2005 | Staff Writer

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Feds Charge Space Museum Director With Stealing Artifacts

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The executive director of the Omniplex in Oklahoma City has taken a leave of absence after it was announced Thursday that he has been indicted on federal charges.

Max Ary has managed the popular Oklahoma City science center since 2002. On Thursday, federal authorities from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Wichita said Ary would face criminal charges stemming from an investigation into the removal of federal property from a Hutchinson, Kan., air and space museum, KOCO-TV reported.

Ary was president of the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson before coming to the Omniplex a few years ago. He is one of the museum's founders and worked there for 27 years.

Officials said the probe, which was led by the FBI and the NASA Office of Inspector General, centers on the disappearance of dozens of space-related items from the Kansas facility. Authorities accuse Ary of auctioning 92 items over a two-year period, then depositing the $180,000 in proceeds from the items into his personal bank account.

According to U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren, Ary is charged on 11 counts, including 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. The federal government also seeks the forfeiture of any profits Ary might have made from the alleged thefts, Melgren said.

Ary is accused of taking a mockup of an Omega astronaut's watch worth about $25,000. He is also accused of depositing more than $80,000 of auction proceeds into his personal bank account.

The bulk of the accusations focus on the items that are missing from the Cosmosphere.

Ary is charged with stealing and selling numerous museum artifacts -- many of which were on loan from NASA. The artifacts include a control panel from Air Force One, silk screens from the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions, and an Apollo 12 water valve that had been flown in space.

Oklahoma City attorney Bill Price is representing Ary, who refused Eyewitness News 5's requests for comment. Price said his client is a "reknowned pioneer" in the aerospace industry who would never turn his passion into a way to make personal profits.

"It certainly bothers me immensely because this has been his life," Price said. "He has been at the forefront of preserving space history decades before anybody thought it was important."

Members of the Omniplex Board of Trustees told Eyewitness News 5's Kimberly Lohman that they are supportive of Ary and that he has been forthcoming with them about the dispute over the artifacts, which started in late 2003.

Omniplex spokeswoman Nancy Coggins said the board believes that "the situation is between Max and the Cosmosphere."

If convicted, Ary could face up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each mail and wire fraud count. He could also face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of theft and transporting stolen property, according to the indictment.

Senior Director of Core Programs Don Otto will take over for Ary during his leave of absence, museum officials announced Thursday.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Was it worth it, Max? Your ebay account will probably be suspended, too!

[solitas]

Each of these items is so unique, and they are obviously with out provenance, that HIH could he POSSIBLY think he was going to get away with anything? Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. And by AUCTIONING?

[skinkinthegrass]

And by AUCTIONING?....SOLD! ...TO THAT MAN (in a dark suit) WITH A SEARCH WARRANT. Crazy