High Museum's Former COO Brady Lum Sentenced to One Year for Embezzling More Than $600,000: Doctored Invoices Bought High-End Guitars
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced that Brady Lum, 60, of Atlanta, the former chief operating officer of the High Museum of Art, was sentenced to one year in federal prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for stealing more than $600,000 from the museum. The museum stands in Atlanta, in Fulton County, Georgia. U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown imposed the sentence.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Lum served as the museum's chief operating officer from January 2, 2019, until his resignation on December 9, 2025, after earlier leadership roles at the Coca-Cola Company and Special Olympics International. During his tenure he repeatedly purchased items and services for himself, including expensive guitars and other music equipment, personal music lessons, and woodworking equipment, through direct supplier invoicing and the museum's corporate credit card reimbursement process, concealing the transactions by submitting altered invoices, using his position to approve expenses, and spreading charges across different cost centers. The siphoning began in September 2019, less than nine months into the job, and continued until the fraud was discovered in November 2025, totaling more than $600,000.
Before the sentencing hearing, Lum paid full restitution of $607,688.18 to the museum under his plea agreement and voluntarily paid approximately $500,000 more to cover the museum's investigative expenses and legal fees.
"Lum brazenly pilfered hundreds of thousands of dollars from a beloved civic institution to pay for his high-end guitars and other personal items," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas N. Joy. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于佐治亚州 Atlanta 的 High Museum of Art 本馆 Meier Building（资料图）。照片：Marc Merlin 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Meier Building of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia (file photo). Photo by Marc Merlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
