Maryland Man Traveled to Other States to Steal Utility Terrain Vehicles and Mowers, then Took Them Back Home to Sell

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Middle River, Maryland, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen motor vehicles, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

Harvey Leemore, age 43, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge David S. Cercone.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on numerous occasions between January of 2017 and July of 2017, Leemore and others traveled from Baltimore, Maryland to various retail dealerships in Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia for the purpose of stealing utility terrain vehicles and lawn tractors from those retail dealerships. After stealing these items, Leemore and his co-conspirators took the items back to Maryland and sold them.

Judge Cercone scheduled the sentencing for July 23, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, 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, the Cranberry Township Police, the Western PA Auto Theft Task Force, the Town of Orange Police Department (VA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Harvey Leemore.