Crime & Safety

Sentencing Day: Two Former Employees Learn Fate for Stealing Thousands in Auto Parts from Ross Dealership

William G. Balzer and Brian J. O'Malley both pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Two former employees of Mick's North Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge at 7670 McKnight Road face sentencing Monday on charges they conspired to sell thousands of dollars worth of car parts.

Former parts manager Brian J. O'Malley of Valencia pleaded guilty in March to two counts of theft and one count of record tampering, according to court records. Former parts salesman William Balzer of Shaler pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen property.

According to the criminal complaint, Balzer told police that he arranged in 2005 to purchase unused car parts at a 10 percent markup from the auto dealer’s service department. Balzer said he sold those parts at a 10 to 12 percent markup on the online auction website run by eBay Inc. He told police he sold between $40,000 and $50,000 in parts every year.

Such an arrangement was legal and “common knowledge to the entire parts department staff,” according to the criminal complaint.

O’Malley later approached Balzer and said he would be able to get the same car parts for Balzer at a 30 or 40 percent discount, according to the complaint. Balzer agreed to the arrangement but told police he became suspicious when O’Malley asked Balzer to temporarily return some of the parts to make up for an inventory shortage.

The missing parts were discovered during an annual inventory audit by an independent firm. Michael Wolcott, owner of Mick’s, tells North Hills Patch that the final total loss is estimated at around $600,000.

Find out what's happening in North Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Balzer and O'Malley are scheduled to appear before Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge David Cashman at 9 a.m. Monday.

Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.  

Check out some of today's other top stories here.  

Find out what's happening in North Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.