A wealthy California mother is accused of masterminding a nationwide shoplifting ring that stole millions of dollars worth of makeup and clothing from hundreds of stores for more than a decade.
Michelle Mack, 53, allegedly paid airfare, hotel bills and car rental costs for up to a dozen operators who would ship their loot to her home in Bonsall before reselling it at knock-down prices through a front company on Amazon Marketplace.
Her gang, dubbed the ‘California Girls’ by investigators, operated in more than a dozen states coast to coast, targeting businesses including LensCrafters, Sephora and at least 231 Ulta stores.
Police found a ‘mini store’ with goods worth $350,000 in a raid at 5 a.m. on her $3 million home and fears the total hit to retailers may have reached $8 million.
“If you’re trying to make an easy buck off other people’s hard work, we’re going to arrest you and prosecute you,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said when the charges were filed.
Michelle Mack, 53, pictured with husband Kenneth, was the alleged mastermind of a nationwide shoplifting ring that netted the couple $8 million over a decade
Mack and her eight co-defendants have denied the charges against them
Police described the haul as a ‘mini market’ after discovering it was set up warehouse style in the 4,500 sq ft mansion in Bonsall
Investigators spent more than two years trying to crack the gang, which was tasked with clearing entire shelves of goods they hid in Louis Vuitton bags.
The conspiracy declared itself unraveled when two shoplifters were arrested at an Ulta store on the East Coast, and one of them told police she worked for a woman in California who provided her with a list of stores to to target and the prices she would pay for. stolen items.
A search of her phone revealed dozens of messages from a woman later identified as Mack.
Investigators then found that Mack operated a retail store on Amazon called the Online Makeup Store, which offered more than 300 items in its product line.
“The items listed for sale were nearly 50 percent of the actual retail price included in the sales listing,” a search warrant application explained.
“This high discount suggested that the goods were being fenced.”
Amazon provided investigators with records that showed the outfit had increased sales by $8 million since 2012, including nearly $2 million in 2022 alone.
Papers filed by the Attorney General’s office note that “the manner in which the defendant carried out the crimes indicates planning, sophistication or professionalism”.
Kenneth Mack has also been charged along with his wife and seven alleged agents
Alleged gang member Alina Franco reportedly had $67,000 worth of stolen beauty products at her home in Colton, San Bernardino, when her home was raided that same day. She appeared in court on February 27, denying multiple offences
Police say they found $350,000 worth of stolen goods when they raided their $3 million mansion in northern San Diego County
More than 300 products were sold from Mack’s home in rural California
Stolen cosmetics were sold online from the home for half their retail value, prosecutors allege
They also allege that Mack “encouraged others to participate in the commission of the crime or assumed a position of leadership or dominance over other participants in its commission”.
‘I don’t steal regularly, I want to start filling my bag quickly. So I want to know things I can also grab in bulk,’ defendant Kimora Lee Gooding wrote to Mack on January 7 last year.
Days later, Mack texted her husband: “Even without Lancome we still did well,” before replying: “Lots of orders, let’s get shipping.”
Investigators raided her home in northern San Diego County on Dec. 6 before filing 140 charges against Mack, her husband Kenneth and seven of her alleged gang members.
Upon entering the 4,500-square-foot mansion, they ‘located and seized hundreds of packages prepared for shipment that would ultimately be sent to the local post office.’
The charges include 136 counts of grand larceny, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of conspiracy and one count of organized retail crime.
“I can see the justice system is working slowly, but it seems to be working,” one of Macks’ neighbors told NBC7.
One of the women, Alina Franco, allegedly had $67,000 worth of stolen beauty products in her home in Colton, San Bernardino, when her home was raided that same day.
Last July, Mack wrote to Franco and asked: ‘Have you got any new girls? I really need a product so if you have any please let me know.’
Franco appeared in court on February 27, where she denied several felonies, including conspiracy to commit organized retail theft.
The National Retail Federation estimates that retailers lost $40.5 billion to shoplifters by 2022, much of it to organized gangs.
The number of cases filed against organized theft groups by Homeland Security Investigations more than tripled from 59 to 199 between 2021 and 2022.
LensCrafter stores in California were among those targeted, and more than 230 Ulta stores were reportedly victims of the gang
“The increase in organized retail crime affects all retailers, consumers and communities,” said Ulta Vice President Dan Petrousek.
“Not only does organized retail crime jeopardize the safety of our store employees and guests, but it also results in potentially unsafe or damaged products being sold online to consumers under false pretenses.”
Mack’s house, complete with swimming pool, four-car garage and 31-acre vineyard, is now for sale for $2.75 million after a $200,000 price cut.
Bonta said the investigation is ongoing and the total size of the operation could be larger yet.