Two wealthy retired dentists have been arrested after committing a series of bizarre robberies in the Bay Area while carrying Louis Vuitton wallets, according to police.
Tatyana Zhukovsky and Clara Michelson, both 68, are accused of a series of thefts of luxury items from a ski shop in Lake Tahoe, the newspaper reported. Reno Gazette Magazine.
The women were allegedly seen on surveillance footage stealing more than $1,500 worth of merchandise from Parallel Mountain Sports in Olympic Valley on July 22, August 19 and November 25.
They were arrested after an officer recognized their getaway car, a luxury silver Lexus SUV, and pulled them over.
Surveillance images show the women quietly leaving the store in cheerful comfort clothing.
The two then drove away in the Lexus SUV and remained on the run until their arrest on December 2.
Tatyana Zhukovsky and Clara Michelson, both 68, are accused of committing a series of robberies in Lake Tahoe until their arrest earlier this month
The duo was arrested after a police officer identified their getaway car, a Lexus SUV
Both women are once licensed dentists in California. Zhukovsky is depicted
Police say the women are from San Francisco and Hillsborough, two of the most expensive communities in the country, with an average home price of more than $7 million.
According to public records, Zhukovsky lives in a $1.5 million two-bedroom home in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Michelson bought a $1.65 million home in Nevada in 2021.
They were both once licensed dentists in California.
Zhukovsky and Michelson were charged with grand larceny and conspiracy to commit a crime after their arrest.
They have now been released.
In 2022, the women sued the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village, claiming they suffered serious injuries and mental anguish after a catamaran they were in crashed into rocks.
Michelson purchased the aforementioned $1.65 million Nevada home in 2021
An image from the 1991 film Thelma and Louise
According to the RGJ, the lawsuit was settled out of court earlier this month.
Zhukovsky’s social media shows that she sold discounted Louis Vuitton bags in 2021.
She appears to be originally from Russia.
The couples’ alleged antics have sparked amusement in local discussion threads and have even been compared to Hollywood movie characters Thelma & Louise.
In the 1991 classic, two downtrodden friends played by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis become celebrities after embarking on a vigilante crime spree.
The iconic ending sees the duo drive a Ford Thunderbird convertible off a cliff to their deaths rather than surrender to the police.