[meteorite-list] Canadian Miner Claims Meteorite Was Stolen - And Wants It Back

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:25 2004
Message-ID: <200302042226.OAA20974_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

For JPL internal use only.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/02/04/meteorite030204

It came from outer space - and he wants it back
CBC News (Canada)
February 4, 2003

WHITEHORSE - A Yukon miner has been told to get his paperwork in order if he
wants to take the federal government to court over what he says is his missing
multi-million dollar meteorite.

Dan Saboe claims he found an extremely rare meteorite while working his mining
claims near Mayo, central Yukon, about 15 years ago.

A few years later Saboe says he noticed something growing on his meteorite. He
wanted to know what it was, and sent it to experts at the Geological Survey of
Canada.

They wanted to cut pieces of the rock for testing but Saboe didn't want them to.

Now he claims federal government scientists have removed the stuff that was
growing on the rock and sent him a fake in its place.

He claims the meteorite is worth more than $12 million. Documents filed with the
court say the federal Geological Survey offered him $2,500 for it.

Saboe has accumulated a huge pile of documents, photographs and tape-recorded
phone calls to back up his claims.

However, in court Tuesday Saboe was told the case is factually complex, and he
should get legal advice to proceed properly. Saboe has no lawyer and told the
court he misunderstood legal requirements needed to proceed with his lawsuit.

He has until Friday to get his case together.

The defendants in the case - people like the RCMP - say Saboe simply has no case.
And they claim even if he did, the space rock is a dud and is essentially worthless.
Received on Tue 04 Feb 2003 05:26:31 PM PST