Joe Gutheinz

Joseph Gutheinz (Joseph Richard Gutheinz, Jr.) is a lawyer, college instructor, writer and is considered an authority on stolen and missing moon rocks, space law and aviation security. He is married to Lori Gutheinz and has six sons, Joseph, Christopher, Michael, James, William and David and he has 11 grandchildren. He is a retired Senior Special Agent with NASA Office of Inspector General and a former Special Agent with United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and FAA Civil Aviation Security. He is a former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer and Aviator. He a former adviser to the Coalition for an Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. He teaches for the University of Phoenix and has formerly taught for Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Central Texas College and Alvin Community College.He is a former Commissioned Member on the Texas Commission on Fire Protection; a former Member of the Texas Sex Offender Treatment Council and a former Member of the Texas Criminal Justice Advisory Committee on Medical and Mental Impairments; to serve on each he was first appointed by the Governor of Texas and then confirmed by the Texas State Senate. He has six college degrees, eight teaching credentials and ten law licenses. He has earned awards from six Federal agencies and one state and one county, to include the NASA Exceptional Service Medal; the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency Career Achievement Award; the NASA Superior Accomplishment Award; a Special Commendation form the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas; the United States Army Meritorious Service Medal; an Honorary Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma designation; an Honorary Deputy Sheriff of the Harris County Sheriffs Department designation; the United States Army aviator's badge and the Honor Graduate pin from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's Criminal Investigator's Course, for graduating first in his class. He was either the task force leader or case agent for the following NASA cases: The investigation of the Russian Space Station (Mir) fire and collision; Omniplan, the largest count indictment and conviction in NASA history; the investigation of Jerry Whittredge, an astronaut impersonator that talked his way into NASA Mission Control; the investigation of Lockheed Martin that resulted in a 7.1 million dollar recovery; the investigation of Boeing North America; the investigation of Rockwell Space Operations Company; the investigation of United Space Alliance; and for an undercover sting operation known as Operation Lunar Eclipse, where the Honduras Apollo 17 Goodwill Moon Rock was seized.