'California Girls' Crime Ring Stole $8 Million of Beauty Products Ringleader Then Sold on Amazon: Police

Law enforcement officials in California said they have arrested a woman believed to be the ringleader of an organized crime ring that allegedly stole nearly $8 million in makeup and other goods from stores across the country and then resold them on Amazon.

On Dec. 6, 2023, officers served a search warrant at the home of Michelle and Kenneth Mack in Bonsall and found more than $300,000 worth of products, according to court documents obtained by KNSD.

Officials said the stores targeted to steal from included businesses in 21 counties in California alone, where the ring allegedly hit more than 230 Ulta stores.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed 140 counts against nine defendants in the case, including 136 felony counts of grand theft, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of conspiracy and one count of organized retail crime.

According to investigators, 53-year-old Michelle Mack paid her accomplices’ airfare, car rentals and other travel expenses so they could rack up hundreds of thefts in California, Washington, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio, CNBC reported.

Mack was responsible for picking the stores and the merchandise, and then the women, who investigators called the “California Girls,” would clear out entire shelves.

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Authorities said Mack would then resell the stolen goods on Amazon, where she made millions. She lived in a multi-million dollar mansion in Bonsall, which was listed for sale in February.

Mack had been selling the stolen goods from her “Online Makeup Store” on Amazon for over 10 years.