By Compiled from Times wires
Published June 5, 2003
ORLANDO - A man accused of trying to sell a collection of moon rocks and meteorites stolen by three NASA interns last year was convicted in federal court Wednesday.
Gordon McWhorter, 27, faces as much as 25 years in prison and $250,000 in fines on charges of stealing property of value to the United States and interstate transportation of stolen property when he is sentenced Aug. 27.
McWhorter was the only one of four defendants who was tried for the July 15 thefts from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. In December, Tiffany Fowler, 26, Thad Roberts, 26, and Shae Saur, 20, pleaded guilty in federal court in Orlando to conspiracy to commit theft and interstate transportation of stolen property. They will be sentenced Aug. 5.
The stolen moon rocks came from every Apollo mission from 1969 to 1972. They are worth more than $500-million, according to some estimates.
Also among the stolen items was a quarter-ounce sample of a Martian meteorite, which scientists say may show signs of life on the red planet. By itself, it is believed to be worth at least $1.4-million.
The FBI in Tampa began investigating in May 2002 when a Belgian rock collector alerted investigators to Internet offers to sell moon rocks for $1,000 to $5,000 a gram.
The moon rocks were found when McWhorter, Roberts and Fowler were arrested July 20 in Orlando.
The court still must determine a market value for the extraterrestrial specimens.
