A Bonsall woman who ran a retail theft ring that targeted stores nationwide and resulted in an estimated $8 million in losses was sentenced Thursday to five years and four months in state prison.
Michelle Mack, 54, was also ordered to pay $3 million in restitution to Ulta and Sephora, as those stores were the ones targeted by of the theft ring over the course of nearly a decade, according to the California Attorney General’s Office, which prosecuted the case in San Diego Superior Court.
Mack pleaded guilty to charges that include conspiracy to commit a crime. The restitution amount is to be split with her husband and co-defendant, Kenneth Mack, who previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year.
Prosecutors say Mack and her husband recruited young women to shoplift products — largely high-demand makeup items — from various retail stores and then resold the stolen products on her online Amazon storefront.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said those items were resold on her storefront for “a fraction” of their usual price.
A search of the Bonsall home turned up racks of stolen products ready to be resold. Staff from Ulta and Sephora helped conduct inventory on the haul and were able to recover an estimated $400,000 in product, authorities said.
Bonta said the crimes took place “from the West Coast to the East Coast,” while also striking stores in 21 California counties, including San Diego.
“This sentencing is a win for businesses, retailers, and consumers in the fight against organized retail crime in California,” Bonta said in a statement.
A prosecutor said that along with the Macks and other defendants who have already been sentenced, one remains at large, while two others are in custody and awaiting transport to San Diego for prosecution.
