A Jamaican-born woman residing in the United States is currently facing 13 felony charges in Florida, with prosecutors accusing her of helping three men steal 12 vehicles from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport’s car rental centre, Hertz.
Savanna Harsha Phillips, who was born in Kingston and now lives in Sunrise, was employed at Hertz as a security guard at the time the thefts occurred on May 16 and 17 earlier this year. Phillips appeared before Broward County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Coleman for her arraignment on the 13 felony charges on Wednesday.
Prosecutors accused the 24-year-old of playing a central role in the theft ring that stole the 12 vehicles, including a Hyundai Sonata, a Nissan Sentra, a Toyota Corolla, and multiple Kia K4 Sedans. According to reports from Local 10, Phillips was arrested on August 26 and subsequently charged with five counts of second-degree grand theft, seven counts of third-degree grand theft, and first-degree organised fraud.
In a report to obtain an arrest warrant, a BSO detective said that Phillips had access to all of the company’s vehicles, knew the slowest time of business to commit the crime, and knew that keys would be in the cars.
The detective further accused her of allowing the drivers to exit Hertz’s parking garage without showing a driver’s license and pretending to scan each vehicle as they exited. Reports state that investigators connected some of the stolen vehicles to crimes committed in other states.
Phillips was granted bail; however, she must prove that the funds that will be used to pay her US$62,000 bond do not come from criminal proceeds.
