On March 26, 2003, U. S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan, ordered that the United States is entitled to forfeit a moon rock stolen from the government of the Republic of Honduras and introduced into the United States in violation of United States Customs laws.
The moon rock was originally given to the Republic of Honduras as one of many goodwill gifts of moon rocks and other lunar mission mementos given to friendly nations in 1973. Law enforcement agents, in a sting operation aimed at preventing fraudulent moon rock and lunar material sales, seized the moon rock after it had been imported into the United States. The government of Honduras then formally requested the United States to return the moon rock to Honduras.
The United States filed a complaint in federal court against the moon rock’s importer seeking forfeiture of the moon rock on the grounds that it was stolen property introduced into the United States in violation of customs laws. The Federal Court found that the government and the people of the Republic of Honduras had not transferred title to the moon rock under Honduran law and the court upheld the forfeiture of the property.
Special Agents from the NASA Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney James H. Swain and United States Customs Service Attorney Jonathan Zwibel handled the case.
For more information on this release, please contact Joseph Kroener, Acting Executive Officer, NASA Office of Inspector General, at (202) 358-2558.
For a copy of the decision in pdf format click here: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oig/hq/press/honduran1.pdf
