A Marietta man is being investigated for an alleged turn to the dark side.
Carl Edward Cunningham, 45, is accused of surreptitiously stealing $200,000 worth of “Star Wars” memorabilia from the collection of his “trusted friend.”
According to the Associated Press, Rancho Obi-Wan in Petaluma, California, is the largest private collection of "Star Wars" memorabilia in the world with 400,000 pieces on display.
Steve Sansweet, who owns the nonprofit museum in California and its collection, said about 120 pieces were stolen between 2015 and 2016 by Cunningham, who stayed at the compound four times during that time.
Cunningham and his lawyer, Amy Chapman, did not return the AP’s calls for comment.
Sansweet expressed his disappointment in a blog post Monday:
“I have known Carl for many years, considered him a good and trusted friend, and played host to him at my home numerous times. I, and the staff at Rancho Obi-Wan, are devastated that he is the alleged perpetrator of the thefts,” Sansweet said. “Not only have important items been stolen from the collection, but also our time, energy and ability to trust unconditionally have taken a blow.”
About 100 of the items have been returned.
Sansweet said the ruse by Cunningham — whom he called a “well-known Star Wars collector and R2-D2 builder” — was discovered after another collector learned he had inadvertently purchased a rare prototype rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure stolen from a Texas warehouse.
Collectors swapped lists of items purchased from Cunningham to determine that the items came from Rancho Obi-Wan, according to the blog post.
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office in California is investigating, but Sansweet is asking for help — it's his only hope. He wants information about Cunningham's alleged crimes sent to tips@ranchoobiwan.org.
“It is our goal to resolve this situation as quickly as possible and to continue to use the collection at Rancho Obi-Wan to ‘Inspire through the Force’ despite the destruction caused by one person,” Sansweet blogged.
Cunningham is out on $25,000 bail and scheduled for a court appearance June 27.
Cobb County court records show traffic violations for Cunningham dating back to 2001 with no felony or misdemeanor arrests.
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