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3 Lot Attendants Steal $400K In Parking Fees From Smithsonian

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credit: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images

credit: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CBSDC/AP) — Three parking lot attendants at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space annex in Chantilly have been charged with stealing at least $400,000 in parking fees.

The three were arrested at the end of their shifts at the Udvar-Hazy Center Saturday. They face charges in federal court in Alexandria that carry up to 10 years in prison.

The two women, Freweyni Mebrahtu of Sterling and Genete Yigzu of Alexandria, and one man, Meseret Terefe of Silver Spring, Md., were employees of Smithsonian parking contractor PMI.


A court affidavit alleges the three began stealing in 2009, shortly after PMI took over management of the lot. Visitors pay a $15 fee, and the affidavit states all three were caught on camera unplugging vehicle counters so the stolen funds would not be missed.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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