Stolen and missing Moon rocks

Of the 270 Apollo 11 Moon rocks and the Apollo 17 Moon rocks (dubbed the Goodwill rocks) that were given to the nations of the world by the Nixon Administration, approximately 180 are unaccounted for. Many of these rocks that are accounted for have been locked away in storage for decades. The location of the rocks has been tracked by researchers and hobbyists because of their rarity and the difficulty of obtaining more.

Investigations

In 1998, a unique federal law enforcement undercover operation was created to identify and arrest individuals selling counterfeit Moon rocks. This sting operation was known as Operation Lunar Eclipse. Originally two undercover agents were involved in this sting, Senior Special Agent Joseph Gutheinz of NASA's Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), posing as Tony Coriasso, and Inspector Bob Cregger of the United States Postal Inspection Service, posing as John Marta. This sting operation was later expanded to include agents from the United States Customs Service, namely, Special Agent Dwight Weikel and Special Agent Dave Atwood. The sting operation was led by NASA OIG Senior Special Agent Joseph Gutheinz. The sting operation recovered an Apollo era Moon rock, the Honduras Goodwill Moon Rock. This Moon rock had been given to Honduras by President Nixon, fallen into private hands, and then offered to the Agents for $5 million.