Tuesday, July 1, 1997 New Haven Register Abram Katz Go to (today only) www.ctcentral.com then click New Haven Register here it is... A Bethany meteorite dealer is being held in a federal prison in Rio De Janeiro after he allegedly swiped a priceless meteorite that's considered a Brazilian national treasure and tried to smuggle it out of the country in a shoebox.Ronald E. Farrell, 43, is owner of Bethany Sciences, which sells meteorites to universities, enthusiasts and collectors.
Brazilian authorities contend that Farrell filched the Angra dos Reis, a one-of-a-kind meteorite that has its own unique classification.
The 2.36-ounce, 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite is believed to be the oldest known rock on Earth and part of a now disintegrated planet.
Last week Farrell allegedly entered the National Museum at Quinta da Boa Vista, and substituted an inexpensive look-alike for the priceless Angra, which is composed of the mineral augite.
The meteorite is so rare that experts do not attempt to estimate its value.
Farrell and Frederick Marcelli, who was arrested at the same time, reportedly also took two pieces of the Serra de Mage meteorite. The two chips are valued at $29,000, or $500 per 0.035 of an ounce.
Brazilian news services, and meteorite experts familiar with the case, confirmed Monday that Farrell has been imprisoned since June 20.
Farrell and Marcelli, 67, were arrested as they attempted to board a flight to Sao Paulo, to catch a flight to New York.
Diplomats at both the American Embassy in Brasilia and the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. were unavilable for comment Monday.
This would not be the first time that Farrell has been accused of obtaining meteorites under false pretenses. He reportedly ripped off Egyptian meteorites while posing as a Yale professor in the early 90s.
A woman answering Farrell's home telephone, said, "I honest to God don't know anything about it. I'm just answering the phone." The woman refused to identify herself.
Another woman at Bethany Sciences declined to answer questions Monday about Farrell's whereabouts and whether he had secured a lawyer.
There was no news Monday on the Bethany Science World Wide Web Internet site, which boasts "Yes! Even you can own a piece of another world."
Russell Kempton, director of New England Meteoritical Services in Mendon, Mass., and a top expert in the preparation, assessment, and sale of meteorites, said Monday, "It's a bizarre story."
Meteorites are rocky or ferrous chunks of debris left drifting in space after the formation of the solar system. Material ejected from planets slammed by asteroids are some of the most valuable meteorites.
Brazilian police were paying close attention to Farrell upon his arrival this spring.
During the 1980s Farrell apparently met with Brazilian researchers to exchange pieces of a Martian meteorite for a few grams of the Angra dos Reis meteorite, which was presented to Dom Pedro II, the second emperor of Brazil in the 19th century.
Elizabeth Zucolotto, curator of meteorites at the National Museum told the Jornol do Brasil that when officials learned that Farrell was coming to the museum they became suspicious.
"This permitted us to detect the theft in time," Zucolotto is quoted as saying.
Several Third World museums have already lost valuable meteorite specimens to the same scam.
Kempton said that swiping the Angra dos Reis would be the meteoritic equivalent of sneaking into the Tower of London and stealing the crown jewels.
"A lot of people feel betrayed. The science has been dirtied. It kind of hurts us all," Kempton said. "I think it's pretty grim to go down there and steal the heritage of another people," Kempton said.
The alleged episode sounded familiar to Yale scientists who asked not to be identified. They said that Farrell got his hands on two valuable meteorites from Mars after posing as a Yale professor in 1991.
Farrell apparently secured an affidavit from the American consulate in Egypt certifying him as a Yale professor, even though he was not. The Egyptian Geological Survey and Mining Authority agreed to lend Farrell two of the Martian meteorites.
Egyptian authorities realized they had been tricked after they sent a letter to Farrell at Yale requesting return of the meteorites in 1993. The letter was returned unopened because there was no Farrell at Yale.
One of the meteorites, valued at $1 million, was recovered. The other specimen was sold, Yale researchers said.