SAN DIEGO (AP) - Seven people have been charged with stealing scrap metal from the USS Midway Museum in San Diego to sell for recycling.
U-T San Diego says grand theft charges were filed Tuesday. They carry a possible three-year prison term.
Authorities contend that the men were involved in a ring of employees that systematically looted the historic aircraft carrier of scrap metal such as copper and steel.
The scrap was created when parts of the ship were demolished to make way for new displays. It was sold to recyclers but the museum says it only received a portion of the proceeds and thieves may have kept hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fourteen employees were fired in January following a museum investigation.
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Information from: U-T San Diego
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
