Sep 3, 2014 2 min read

A Brownsville woman accused of stealing more than $500,000 from a Bentleyville car dealership pleaded no contest Wednesday to theft.

Elisa Liberatore-Thomas, 37, was charged in October 2009 after being accused of stealing $534,248 from Tregembo Ford while she was employed there as business manager from Jan. 1, 2004, to Jan. 28, 2008. She appeared before Washington County Judge Gary Gilman to enter her plea. There was no plea agreement, and it will be up to the judge to determine her sentence.

The owners of the dealership contacted state police after discovering a large amount of money missing from accounts of the business, now Tregembo Motors. A financial analysis shows Thomas had more than $300,000 in deposits into her personal bank accounts.

While District Attorney Gene Vittone could not comment on the case because of ongoing litigation, he said it was a process to get to this point.

In May 2012, the case against Thomas was dismissed by former Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky after he determined the district’s attorney’s office failed to bring the case to trial within 365 days as required by state court Rule 600.

The commonwealth appealed the ruling to the Superior Court, which reversed the initial ruling. According to the Superior Court’s order filed Sept. 24, 2013, Thomas and her attorney filed for numerous continuances. As a result, Thomas filed her Rule 600 motion prematurely, and the trial court erred in granting her relief, court documents show.

Thomas, in turn, appealed the Superior Court’s ruling to the Supreme Court, which refused to the hear the case. It was returned to local court.

Vittone said the case is scheduled for a restitution hearing in November. A sentencing date is set for December. Thomas remains free on bond.