Woman embezzled $750,000 from ex-astronaut who founded flight museum

An Orcas Island bookkeeper has pleaded guilty to federal charges for embezzling more than $750,000 from a former NASA astronaut and his wife who were founders of flight museum housed in Bellingham for several years.

Sarah Elizabeth Coffelt pleaded guilty to wire fraud Monday as part of a plea deal, according to The Seattle Times.

Court documents show retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Anders and his wife, Valerie, hired Coffelt in 2003 to keep records of their two family businesses – Heritage Flight Museum and Apogee Flight Inc. Under the plea deal, Coffelt admitted she stole from her employers to cover the costs associated with her own business, the Moon Glow Arts and Crafts store in Eastsound. She also used the couple’s money to pay for family trips and her mortgage.

Anders and his family started the Heritage Flight Museum in Eastsound in 1996, with a small collection of vintage military aircraft. The museum moved to Bellingham International Airport in 2002 and was housed there until 2013, when it moved to Burlington

Anders serves as president of the museum.

In 1968, Anders piloted the Apollo 8 lunar module that orbited the moon in a prelude to the mission that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the lunar surface. He later became an executive and rose to be chairman and chief executive officer at General Dynamics Corp. before his retirement in 1993.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Woman embezzled $750,000 from ex-astronaut who founded flight museum."