Neil Armstrong took one very famous “small step”, but two Boston area men took a small step of their own, one that may see them serve up to ten years in jail.
When Armstrong passed through the arrivals checkpoint at Boston Logan, 50-year-old Thomas Chapman, of Malden was in charge of verifying his customs declaration form. Instead of placing the form in the correct file, Chapman kept it, and with the aid of his friend, 50-year-old Paul Brickman, of Chelsea, the document was put up for sale.
When one of the potential bidders notified authorities, the men were arrested and charged with stealing an official government record. At that point, bids were already over $1000.
According to the brother of one of the men, the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. He said his brother simply got starstruck and got an autograph on the wrong piece of paper.
[Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images]