A former contractor for Hertz at Pittsburgh’s airport admitted Tuesday that he conspired to steal 24 rental cars from the company storage lot and sold them across state lines in Maryland and elsewhere.
Bernard Washington of Coraopolis pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to a count of conspiracy following an investigation by the FBI and state police.
Washington, 31, had been indicted in the summer. He had been a contractor for Hertz at Pittsburgh International Airport between May and July 2021.
The grand jury said that from May 30 until Oct. 25 of that year, he and his co-conspirators accessed the Hertz lot and stole 24 vehicles. At least three of those were then transported to Maryland, Virginia and Delaware and sold.
Washington also received at least two cars from another conspirator, one of which had been stolen.
Judge Fischer said she would sentence Washington in May.
Torsten covers the courts for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at jtorsteno@gmail.com.
