Maryland Man Charged with Stealing Then Selling Motor Vehicles Across State Lines

PITTSBURGH—A resident of Essex, Md., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The five-count indictment, returned on June 26, named Harvey Leemore, 36, of 1600 Evergreen Way, Essex, Md., as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, on at least eight occasions between September of 2011 and March of 2012, Leemore and at least one other individual traveled from Baltimore, Md., to various retail dealerships in Pennsylvania and Virginia for the purpose of stealing motorcycles and tractors from those retail dealerships. The indictment further alleges that, after stealing these items, Leemore and his co-conspirators took the items back to Baltimore and sold them. The indictment charges that Leemore and his co-conspirators stole four motorcycles, 12 ATVs and five tractor/mowers from retail dealerships located in Gibsonia, Ebensburg, Gaines and Altoona, Pennsylvania, and in Purcellville, Virginia.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 45 years in prison, a fine of $1,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Pennsylvania State Police, Western PA Auto Theft Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.