Former High Museum of Art COO pleads guilty in federal embezzlement case

The former chief operating officer of Atlanta's High Museum of Art has pleaded guilty to a charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

Brady Lum, 59, resigned in December after officials with the Woodruff Arts Center said an investigation led to the discovery of "financial irregularities" at the High that month.

Authorities say Lum, who served as COO at the museum from 2019 up to his resignation, used his control of the High's operational and financial activities to purchase "non-business items and services for himself," including guitars, other music equipment, music lessons, and woodworking equipment.

Lum was accused of using altered invoices and "accounting adjustments" to disguise his purchases. In one case from November 2024, prosecutors say that Lum submitted an invoice showing a $9,147.87 purchase of equipment that turned out to be for a guitar and accessories.

"Over several years, Lum deceptively plundered the southeast's premier museum of visual art, embezzling more than half a million dollars," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Criminals like Lum who steal from institutions that receive taxpayer money to serve the public will face prison time for their thievery and be compelled to repay their ill-gotten gains."

A sentencing hearing for Lum is scheduled for Nov. 2. As part of the plea agreement, he has agreed to pay the museum full restitution, officials say.