Former Space Center Houston executive accused of stealing nearly $88,000

Space Center Houston, one of the city’s most recognizable attractions, is now tied to a felony theft case that alleges a former senior executive diverted $87,784.12 from the nonprofit over several months.

Charging documents filed April 17 accuse Jason Justiniano Olea, 38, of felony theft from a nonprofit organization. Authorities say he is wanted on the charge. The amount listed in the case falls within the Texas felony range for theft of property valued at $30,000 or more but less than $150,000, which is classified as a third-degree felony under state law.

The allegations land hard because Space Center Houston is not just another charity. The institution says it was founded in 1992 as NASA Johnson Space Center’s official visitor center and operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an educational mission centered on STEM learning. Its public materials also describe it as Houston’s first Smithsonian Affiliate and a Certified Autism Center.

That reach gives the case outsized weight in Harris County. Space Center Houston says it welcomed more than 1.2 million visitors last year, while other public profile materials place annual attendance at roughly 1 million to 1.3 million. The organization is a major stop for school groups, tourists and families heading to the Clear Lake area, which means confidence in its stewardship matters well beyond the nonprofit world.

Financial filings add to the stakes. Public nonprofit profile data for the Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, which operates Space Center Houston, show $61.2 million in revenue in 2024, $45.3 million in expenses, $125 million in assets and $12.2 million in liabilities. In a nonprofit of that size, even an alleged loss under $100,000 can reverberate through donor trust, internal controls and future fundraising.

Space Center Houston’s board page lists Michael J. Bloomfield as chair, with Gwen Griffin and Ivan Rodriguez serving as vice chairs, underscoring the governance structure expected to oversee the institution’s finances and operations. The case now puts that oversight under a sharper public lens.

For now, the charging papers point to a single accused insider, not a broader fraud ring. But in a nonprofit that markets itself as a trusted educational anchor for Houston, the bigger question is whether this was an isolated theft or a warning that stronger controls were needed at one of the region’s highest-profile institutions.