
A San Diego County woman will serve more than five years in state prison for leading a theft ring that stole millions of dollars in cosmetics in Napa and 20 other California counties.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday announced the sentencing of Michelle Mack, a 54-year-old Bonsall resident who pleaded guilty on June 17 to directing bulk thefts of beauty products and their resale on an Amazon.com storefront.
Charges included organized retail theft, grand theft, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy.
Mack was sentenced Jan. 9 to five years and four months in prison, and along with her husband will forfeit all property and assets seized during the investigation into the thefts, Bonta said in a news release. The couple also must pay $3 million in restitution to theft victims, who additionally stand to collect funds from the sale of Mack’s home.
“This sentencing is a win for businesses, retailers, and consumers in the fight against organized retail crime in California,” Bonta said in his statement. “The robust collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, and retailers serves as the cornerstone in the battle against organized retail crime which has significant financial and safety implications. Today’s announcement proves that such criminal activity will not be tolerated in California.”
Mack and seven others were charged Feb. 16 in San Diego County Superior Court in connection with an operation in which women were recruited to visit stores and systematically steal cosmetics that were in high demand, according to the attorney general’s office. The stolen products were then resold on Amazon at deep discounts.
Suspected thieves were captured on surveillance video, and a search of Mack’s home revealed large amounts of makeup, stored in the original packaging and being prepared for shipping, according to the news release. Staff from the Ulta Beauty and Sephora chains assisted in inventorying about $400,000 of recovered cosmetics, out of an estimated $7.8 million in stolen merchandise.
Besides Napa County, the cosmetics thefts also occurred in Sonoma, Marin and Solano counties and elsewhere in the Bay Area, as well as in San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties.
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