"I didn't know it was stolen"

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:52 pm

I had to share this news blurb with you.

FBI Recovers Astronaut's Missing Medal

Robert Z. Pearlman

SPACE.com Wed Apr 4, 12:45 PM ET

A Presidential Medal of Freedom that was prepared for award to Apollo 13 astronaut Captain James Lovell, Jr., and which was missing since 1970, was recently recovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the bureau's Chicago office announced on Tuesday.

A slight defect in the medal resulted in its replacement being manufactured and presented in its place to Lovell. The damaged medal was intended to be destroyed but instead it found its way out of the White House and into the hands of a private collector in Pennsylvania.

On January 5, 2007, that same collector listed the medal for auction on the website eBay. Originally advertised under the heading "Presidential Medal of Freedom James A. Lovell Apollo 13," the auction was ended by the seller several times to make adjustments to its description. In the process, she removed all mention of Lovell's name. At the time she wrote that the omission was done to comply with eBay policies.

According to the FBI, Lovell learned that the medal was being offered for sale and became concerned about the propriety of the auction, the negative effect it might have on the medal as well as on other recipients of the award.

As a result, Lovell contacted the FBI.

An investigation by the FBI's cyber crimes unit identified the seller and led to the recovery of the medal late last month. The authenticity of the recovered medal has been verified by the White House.

To date, no arrests have been made nor have charges been filed in connection with the recovery of the medal, although the FBI's investigation is still ongoing.

The medal presented to Lovell is still in his possession. He and his Apollo 13 crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert received the honor, the nation's highest civilian award, on April 18, 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon at Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii. The crew had just returned safely to Earth the day earlier, having survived an in-flight explosion before reaching the Moon.

"I am grateful to the FBI for their quick response," said Lovell, "and proud to be a recipient of our nation's highest civilian award."

Copyright 2007 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070404/sc_space/fbirecoversastronautsmissingmedal;_ylt=AnWuW4bHMjWRl9EBgS1rGldxieAA

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:56 pm

"Houston, we have a problem..."

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:34 pm

Uh, Houston, we HAD a problem!

captsandwich · Post by **captsandwich** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:12 am

I wonder if the Emperor was somehow involved.

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:47 pm

On another note, NASA's Inspector General is accused of thwarting an attempt by his own investigators and the Texas Rangers to enlist the help of Crime Stoppers in the recovery of a missing gold-and-diamond anniversary ring and an earring worn by Laura Clark who perished aboard Columbia.

Full Story

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:11 pm

Thanks for that one, Richard.