If you’ve ever longed for a guitar so much that you’d do anything – absolutely anything – to get hold of it, well, you’re not alone, as a recent court case has highlighted.
Ex-High Museum of Art executive Brady Lum just pleaded guilty to embezzling $600,000 from the arts institution in Atlanta, Georgia – a sum he reportedly then spent acquiring valuable guitars, among other items.
“Lum brazenly pilfered hundreds of thousands of dollars from a beloved civic institution to pay for his high-end guitars and other personal items,” stated U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “His appalling breach of trust damaged not only the High Museum but also the larger art community.”
Sadly, the list of “high-end” guitars he bought using the embezzled funds has not been made public, but with that kind of cash, you could afford pretty much anything. Could they have been a couple of ’Bursts, à la Joe Bonamassa? Or did he perhaps manage to nab a few of the artist guitars that were recently up for auction? Alas, we can only speculate.
The Judge did indicate that he didn’t believe Lum was likely to commit another crime, but stated that the sentence must deter other individuals (presumably, guitarists) from committing similar offences.
Lum was subsequently handed a 12 month sentence, having addressed the court in an apology. “I acknowledge I violated the law. I am guilty. I took money that wasn’t mine,” he said, while expressing regret for how this impacted his family and community.
As part of the plea agreement, Lum paid full restitution of over $607,688 to the High Museum and another $500,000 to cover investigative and legal costs. This past July, he resigned from his position as COO and pleaded guilty to a federal charge of theft in relation to programs that receive federal funds.
Speaking of true crime and guitars, multiple suspects are currently wanted after a failed attempt to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen guitars to a store in Nashville.
