The former chief operating officer of the High Museum of Art who pilfered more than $600,000 from the museum by doctoring invoices and approving personal purchase transactions has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.
Brady Lum, 59, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2. As part of his plea agreement, Lum will pay full restitution to the High Museum.
According to federal authorities, Lum served as the High Museum of Art’s chief operating officer from Jan. 2, 2019, until his resignation on December 9, 2025. As COO, he was responsible for planning, implementing, managing, and controlling the High Museum’s operational and financial activities.
The feds said that during his tenure as COO, Lum repeatedly purchased non-business items and services for himself, including luxury guitars and other musical equipment, personal music lessons, and woodworking equipment, via direct supplier invoicing and the High Museum’s corporate credit card reimbursement process. Lum concealed the nature of his transactions in several ways, including submitting altered invoices, using his position to exercise delegated expense-approval authority, and applying accounting adjustments to spread his expenses across different cost centers so they would not be readily identified.
For example, on or about Nov. 29, 2024, Lum submitted an altered invoice for reimbursement via the High Museum’s online expense-processing platform. While the submitted invoice showed a $9,147.87 purchase of equipment that appeared to be for the museum’s benefit, the original invoice was for a high-end guitar and accessories that Lum kept for himself.
According to a release, Lum received more than 700 reimbursements, most of which were for less than $1,000, and stole more than $600,000 from the High Museum.
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