Man pleads guilty to stealing unmarked FBI car, agent's weapon
A Pittsburgh man on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing an FBI agent’s unmarked car in 2021.
Lashawn Norwood, 57, of the Hill District, was charged with theft of government property. He pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
Prosecutors said an unmarked SUV owned by the FBI and containing firearms assigned to a special agent was stolen on Sept. 28, 2021, while parked near Schenley Park Oval in Squirrel Hill. The vehicle was recovered a short time later in the Hill District with one of the special agent’s weapons missing.
Analysis of DNA processed by the FBI revealed that Norwood’s DNA was found on both the driver’s side exterior door handle and the steering wheel, said Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti.
The stolen weapon — a Glock 19 9mm — was recovered by Pittsburgh police on Nov. 12, 2021, after it was discovered by a mail carrier in a post office box on the North Side.
A date has not yet been scheduled for Norwood’s sentencing hearing.
Rivetti said Norwood faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Norwood is being detained until his sentencing.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
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