A wealthy California mom is accused of masterminding a nationwide shoplifting organization that stole millions of dollars worth of make-up and clothes from hundreds of stores for more than a decade.
Michelle Mack, 53, allegedly paid air fares, hotel bills and car rental costs for up to a dozen operatives, who would post their loot to her home in Bonsall before she sold it on for 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 outlets including LensCrafters, Sephora and at least 231 Ulta stores.
Police found a ‘mini-store’ of goods worth $350,000 in a 5am raid on her $3 million home and fear the total hit to retailers may have topped $8 million.
‘If you try to make an easy buck off of other people’s hard work, we will arrest you and prosecute you,’ said California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, as charges were filed.
Michelle Mack, 53, pictured with husband Kenneth, was the alleged mastermind of a nationwide shoplifting organization which 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 laid out warehouse style in the 4,500 square foot mansion in Bonsall
Investigators spent more than two years trying to break the gang which was tasked with clearing entire shelves of goods which they concealed in Louis Vuitton bags.
The conspiracy stated to unravel when two shoplifters were arrested in an Ulta store on the East Coast and one of them told police that she was working for a woman in California who provided her with a list of stores 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 ran a retail outlet on Amazon called Online Makeup Store which offered more than 300 items on its product line.
‘The items listed for sale were nearly 50 percent off the actual retail price, which was included in the sales listing,’ a search warrant application explained.
‘This steep discount suggested the items were being fenced.’
Amazon provided investigators with records showing the outfit had racked up sales worth $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 Defendants carried out the crimes indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism’.
Kenneth Mack has also been charged alongside his wife and seven alleged operatives
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 on the same day. She appeared in court on February 27 where she denied multiple felony counts
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 being sold from Mack’s home in rural California
Stolen cosmetics were sold online from the home at half their retail value, prosecutors claim
They also claim that Mack ‘induced others to participate in the commission of the crime or occupied a position of leadership or dominance of other participants in its commission’.
‘I’m not stealing regular I’m going to start filling up my bag quick. So I want to know stuff I can grab in bulks too,’ defendant Kimora Lee Gooding texted Mack on Jan 7 last year.
Days later, Mack texted her husband, ‘Even without Lancome we still did well,’ before he replied: ‘Lots of orders let’s get shipping.’
Investigators raided her home in northern San Diego County on December 6 before filing 140 charges against Mack, her husband Kenneth, and seven of her alleged gang.
On entering the 4,500 square foot mansion they ‘located and seized hundreds of parcels prepped for shipment that would be ultimately mailed at the local Post Office’.
The charges include 136 felony counts of grand theft, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of conspiracy and one count of organized retail crime.
‘I see the justice system works slowly, but it seems to be working,’ one of Macks’ neighbors told NBC7.
One of the women, Alina Franco, reportedly had $67,000 worth of stolen beauty products at her home in Colton, San Bernardino, when her home was raided on the same day.
In July last year Mack texted Franco, asking: ‘Did you get some new girls? I really need product so if you have anything please let me know.’
Franco appeared in court on February 27 where she denied multiple felony counts, including conspiracy to commit organized retail theft.
The National Retail Federation estimates that retailers lost $40.5 billion to shoplifters in 2022, much of it to organized gangs.
The number of cases brought 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 reportedly fell victim to the gang
‘The rise 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 associates and guests, but it also results in potentially unsafe or damaged products being resold online to consumers under false pretenses.’
Mack’s house, complete with swimming pool, four-car garage and 31-acre vineyard is now on sale for $2.75 million after a $200,000 price cut.
Bonta said the investigation is ongoing and the total size of the operation may be bigger yet.