Ex-High Museum executive who spent embezzled money on expensive guitars sentenced

A former High Museum of Art executive has learned his sentence after he pleaded guilty to embezzling $600,000 from the museum.

A federal judge sentenced Brady Lum, the High Museum’s former chief operating officer, to one year in federal prison.

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Channel 2 Action News has been following the case against Lum since the museum announced in February that it was investigating Lum’s spending.

He resigned from his position as COO and pleaded guilty in July to a federal charge of theft concerning programs that receive federal funds.

“Lum brazenly pilfered hundreds of thousands of dollars from a beloved civic institution to pay for his high-end guitars and other personal items. His appalling breach of trust damaged not only the High Museum but also the larger art community,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said following Lum’s sentencing.

As part of his plea agreement, Lum paid a full restitution of over $607,688 to the High Museum. He paid another $500,000 to the museum for how much it cost to investigate him.

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