[meteorite-list] Two Men Indicted In Theft Of Moon Rocks, Meteorites

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:08:30 2004
Message-ID: <200209241427.HAA19324_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.newscoast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=SH&Date=20020921&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=209210434&Ref=AR&Profile=1018

Two men indicted in theft of moon rocks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 21, 2002

TAMPA -- Two men accused of stealing moon rocks and meteorites from Johnson
Space Center in Houston were indicted Friday on the conspiracy charges.

Thad Ryan Roberts, 25, and Gordon Sean McWhorter, 26, were charged with
theft conspiracy, illegal interstate transportation and possession of stolen
lunar samples. Both are from Salt Lake City.

A third person, Tiffany Brooke Fowler, 22, of Odessa, Texas, pleaded guilty
to theft conspiracy and illegal transportation of moon rocks.

Undercover FBI agents arrested Roberts, Fowler and McWhorter in Orlando in July.

Shae Lynn Saur, 19, was arrested in Houston at the same time and charged with
conspiracy, FBI officials said. Roberts, Fowler and Saur were student employees
at the space center.

Investigators say Roberts offered to sell "priceless moon rocks" collected by
Apollo astronauts in 1969 and the early 1970s for $1,000 to $5,000 a gram.

Investigators found the group after placing an ad in May on
the Web site of the Mineralogy Club of Antwerp.
Received on Tue 24 Sep 2002 10:27:40 AM PDT