Man Pays $70,000 To Store Stolen Car Before Confessing To Police

San Diego, CA – A man reportedly paid $70,000 to store a car he stole in 1989 before confessing his crime to police. The stolen Corvette sat idle in a storage facility for over two decades until the thief gave in to his guilty conscience and contacted authorities.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the unidentified man claims to have stolen the vehicle in 1989 from a San Diego dealership lot. At the time of the theft the man was a recent immigrant to the United States from Ireland. He alleges that after arriving in the US, he became involved with a group of men who coerced him into stealing the Corvette.

Once the car was in his possession the man claims to have driven it directly to the storage facility as directed by the other men. The immigrant claims to have received calls from the men throughout the following years and was instructed to keep the car in storage.

The man continued to pay monthly fees for the garage-size storage space for each of the following 23 years. Originally paying a storage fee of $50 each month, the price had inflated to $300 monthly by this year. After paying a total of $70,000 the man ceased payments and contacted his lawyer.

Business Insider reports that the man’s lawyer contacted authorities immediately to relay his client’s story. Police quickly recovered the Corvette from the storage facility. The convertible was in near-pristine condition with a mere 67 miles on the odometer.

Because of his cooperation with authorities the man was not charged with a criminal offense. The car was turned over to the original dealership’s insurance agency for resale. After exchanging hands a few times the car was eventually sold on eBay for just below $40,000.

What do you think of the man who paid $70,000 to store a stolen car?