High Museum of Art's Former Chief Operating Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzlement

ATLANTA - Brady Lum, the former chief operating officer of the High Museum of Art, has been sentenced to one year in federal prison for stealing more than $600,000 from the museum by doctoring invoices and approving transactions for personal purchases. Before today’s sentencing hearing, Lum paid full restitution to the museum and reimbursed its $500,000 of 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. His appalling breach of trust damaged not only the High Museum but also the larger art community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Lum repaid the High Museum by covering its losses and expenses, and now he will pay his debt to society from prison.”

“We expect leaders of one of our communities’ historic institutions to serve as stewards, not loot it,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Brady Lum manipulated internal processes to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars. The FBI is committed to uncovering and stopping this kind of greed and fraud.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Lum served as the High Museum of Art’s chief operating officer from January 2, 2019, until his resignation on December 9, 2025. Prior to working at the High Museum, Lum held leadership positions at the Coca-Cola Company and Special Olympics International.

During his tenure as the High Museum’s COO, Lum repeatedly purchased non-business items and services for himself, including expensive guitars and other music equipment, personal music lessons, and woodworking equipment, through direct supplier invoicing and the High Museum’s corporate credit card reimbursement process. Lum started to siphon money from the museum in September 2019, less than nine months after he started his COO job, and continued through the discovery of the fraud in November 2025.

Lum concealed the nature of his transactions in several ways, including by submitting altered invoices, using his position to approve expenses, and using accounting adjustments to spread his expenses across different cost centers. Over the course of his scheme, Lum stole more than $600,000 from the High Museum. Today, U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown sentenced Brady Lum, 60, of Atlanta, Georgia, to one year in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. As part of his plea agreement, Lum paid full restitution of $607,688.18 to the High Museum. Lum also voluntarily paid approximately $500,000 to the High Museum to cover costs the museum incurred while uncovering and investigating his criminal activity.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas N. Joy prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.

[email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.