Multi-Million Make-Up Theft Ring Smashed: San Diego ‘Shoplifting Queen’ Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison After She and Husband Stole Millions

A woman from San Diego has been sentenced to over five years in prison for running a nationwide grand theft ring with her husband, shoplifting millions of dollars worth of products from major retailers and selling them online.

Knewz.com has learned that in addition to jail time, the couple will also have to pay millions in restitution to the cosmetic brand Sephora and the beauty salon company Ulta.

Back in February 2024, a total of 140 charges had been filed against nine defendants allegedly associated with the retail theft ring.

The 140 charges included 136 felony counts of grand theft, two counts of receiving stolen property, one count of conspiracy, and one count of organized retail crime . However, some of the charges have been reduced as part of a plea bargain.

Michelle Mack and her husband Kenneth, from Bonsall, San Diego, were found guilty of running the cosmetic theft racket in June 2024.

Ringleader Michelle reportedly directed a group of women to target major retail outlets across the United States , providing them with travel expenses – including airfare and car rentals – and a list of retail stores from where they were to shoplift products.

It was reported that the operation targeted 230 Ulta stores, a LensCrafters in Clairemont, and an Ulta store in Mira Mesa, among other retail stores.

According to prosecutors, the ringleader's accomplices would sometimes mail shoplifted goods to a post office in Bonsall, where Michelle had a company address that was listed under "Online Makeup Store."

She then resold the products on Amazon at a fraction of their usual retail price, reportedly making millions since she started the operation over 10 years ago. According to Amazon sales records presented to the investigators, Michelle made $1.89 million in 2022 alone.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the theft ring run by the San Diego couple hit stores in 21 counties in California alone, in addition to retail outlets in other states. He initially estimated the total losses at about $8 million, although he now believes the amount to be much higher.

It was reported that Michelle ran the operation from her 4,500-square-foot mansion in Bonsall, equipped with its own vineyard and chapel that the couple rented out as a wedding venue and Airbnb.

In December 2023, authorities conducted a thorough search of the Bonsall property and recovered over $300,000 worth of makeup and other products, which led to the couple's arrest .

In June 2024, the couple pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a felony and organized retail theft, petty theft, and receiving stolen property.

As a result of the plea bargain, the jail sentence of Kenneth – Michelle's husband – was reduced from five years and four months to one year, and he is to serve the remainder of his sentence "as probation with community service," according to reports . His incarceration has already begun.

Michelle, however, has to serve the entirety of the jail sentence, a San Diego County judge ruled on Thursday, July 18. She will serve her sentence after her husband's return from prison so that the couple can care for their minor children.

She has been ordered to not leave the state and go near any Ulta or Sephora retailers during this period.

In addition to jail time, the couple and several of their associates have been ordered by the judge to pay $3 million in restitution to Ulta and $13,000 to Sephora, per a report by NBC 7 San Diego .