Former Field Museum Employee Accused of Stealing $900,000 Over 7 Years

A Field Museum employee taking memberships at the door pocketed $900,000 in cash over seven years and is being investigated by federal authorities, museum executives said Friday.

Disclosure of the alleged theft was made in a federally mandated tax report the natural history institution filed earlier this month.

“Yes, it’s embarrassing somebody got away with it for seven years,” said Ray DeThorne, chief marketing officer. “But we’ve made sure it won’t happen again."

“The loss and investigation costs were fully recovered through the museum’s insurance program, less a $10,000 deductible,” the museum reported in its 2014 Form 990.