FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 24-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly aiding three men in stealing 12 vehicles from Hertz while working as a security guard at a Florida airport car rental center.
Savannah Harsha Phillips, who previously worked at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport’s Hertz location, is accused of using her position to let the men exit the parking garage without showing a driver’s license and pretending to scan the vehicles as they left. Authorities say the scheme occurred in May as part of a theft ring.
Detectives reported that Phillips had access to the company vehicles, knew the keys were inside, and was aware of the slowest business hours, allowing the thefts to occur.
The stolen cars included multiple Kia K4 sedans, Nissan Altimas, a Hyundai Sonata, a Toyota Corolla, and a Nissan Sentra. Some of the vehicles have now been linked to crimes in other states, including a black Kia K4 in Texas and a white Toyota Corolla in Virginia.
Phillips, a Jamaican national living in Sunrise, was arrested at her home on August 26 and booked into the Paul Rein Detention Facility. She faces charges of first-degree organized fraud, five counts of second-degree grand theft, and seven counts of third-degree grand theft.
At her arraignment hearing, a bond court judge set her bail at $62,000, ordering her to prove that the money is not derived from criminal activity.
Phillips’ next court hearing is scheduled for December.
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