Theft from Udvar-Hazy Parking Lot

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Summary

Three parking lot attendants at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, stole over $1.3 million dollars in parking fees between April 2009 and May 2012. Meseret Terefe, Freweyni Mebrahtu, and Genete Yigzu disconnected the car entry counters and pocketed most of the fees. Employees of the contractor Parking Management Inc., they were convicted, sentenced to jail, and ordered to make restitution. Abeselom Hailemariam was also convicted, sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution.

Subject

  • Terefe, Meseret
  • Mebrahtu. Freweyni
  • Yigzu, Genete Genete
  • Hailemariam, Abeselom
  • Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
  • Parking Management Inc

Category

Chronology of Smithsonian History

Notes

  • "Smithsonian Parking Lot Thefts in Va. Exceeded $1 Million," 2/8/2013, http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/02/smithsonian-parking-lot-thefts-in-va-exceeded-1m-85012.html; "Meseret Terefe, former parking attendant, sentenced for theft," 1/18/2013, http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/01/meseret-terefe-former-parking-attendant-sentenced-for-theft-84241.html; "Parking Attendants Accused of Stealing from Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center, 8/6/2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/parking-attendants-accused-of-stealing-from-smithsonians-udvar-hazy-center/2012/08/06/d582aece-e002-11e1-a421-8bf0f0e5aa11_story.html
  • "Smithsonian parking thefts, Abeselom Hailemariam sentencing," 7/19/2013, WJLA online, http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/07/smithsonian-parking-thefts-abeselom-hailemariam-sentencing-91602.html; "Meseret Terefe pleads guilty to stealing Air and Space parking fees," 9/28/2012, WJLA online, http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/09/meseret-terefe-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-air-and-space-parking-fees-80422.html

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

April 2009 - May 2012

Topic

  • Parking lots
  • Parking facilities
  • Crime
  • Theft

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