The California “queenpin” accused of masterminding a nationwide $8 million scam has been sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Michelle Mack, 53, was given a deferred sentence of five years and four months to be determined in January and was also ordered to pay more than $3 million in fines.
Mack pleaded guilty in February to leading a gang called the “California Girls” that operated in more than a dozen states and targeted Sephora, Ulta, Bloomingdales and other cosmetics and luxury brands.
She and her husband Kenneth, 60, were arrested in December after more than $300,000 worth of stolen property was found in their home, a fraction of what prosecutors say has been stolen since 2012.
Michelle Mack, 53, was given a four-month deferred sentence five years ago to be determined in January and was ordered to pay more than $3 million in fines
Mack’s gang operated in more than a dozen states and targeted at least 231 Ulta stores.
Mack, Kenneth and seven others have been charged in connection with the theft.
The couple was charged in February with 140 felonies, including conspiracy to commit organized shoplifting and receiving stolen goods. They pleaded guilty to guilty of last month.
The judge allows Mack, a mother of three, to serve her sentence after Kenneth to ensure their children are cared for.
She sold millions of dollars worth of stolen cosmetics on Amazon through the platform’s ‘Online Makeup Store’, for a fraction of the retail price.
Records show that Mack earned $1.89 million in 2022 alone.
According to court documents, one of the suspects in the theft case was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, while the remaining suspects are still awaiting their sentences.
Her troubles started long before she became a star in cosmetics theft.
According to former friends, the glamorous blonde always had a plan to make a quick buck and was already running a small business before marrying Kenneth in 2007.
The judge allows Mack, a mother of three, to serve her sentence after Kenneth to ensure their children are cared for. The couple is pictured on their wedding day in 2007
Kenneth is currently serving five years and four months in prison for his role in the criminal gang
She ran an online business selling hand-painted wine glasses and delicate glass and crystal nail files imported from the Czech Republic.
“It was actually a very large operation even before I came in 2015 or 2016, and she had over 10 people working there,” a former employee, Michelle Hermann, told DailyMail.com.
‘At that time, hand-painted wine glasses were very popular and we sold them wholesale to many other stores.
Hermann added: “As far as I knew, she was running a legitimate business at the time, so I was quite shocked when I heard what she had recently been arrested for.”
However, court documents from 2013 show that Mack defaulted on the nearly $200,000 loan she took out to operate her wholesale novelty goods business in Mesa, Arizona.
Mack ran an online business selling hand-painted wine glasses
Part of her previous business was the sale of delicate glass/crystal nail files imported from the Czech Republic
That year, Mack was ordered to repay nearly $200,000 she had borrowed for the failed ventures.
Hermann said she purchased the glass and crystal nail file business of 95 & Sunny Inc. from Mack around 2017.
Meanwhile, the enterprising couple moved on to another venture: San Tan Mountain Weddings & Events. They rented out their new 4,500-square-foot mansion in Gilbert, Arizona, for weddings and other events.
The five-bedroom home had a spacious backyard, set among scenic desert hills.
In addition to renting out their home, the Macks also offered all-inclusive wedding packages for decorations and drinks, providing another source of income for the couple who were struggling financially.
The enterprising couple pivoted to another venture in 2017 — San Tan Mountain Weddings & Events — using their new 4,500-square-foot mansion in Gilbert, Arizona to rent out for weddings and other events (pictured).
A 2017 Facebook post from their wedding company showed a photo of a smiling Michelle and Kenneth at their own wedding:
“I will always remember the love in your eyes and the warmth of your smile on the day we were married ten years ago. Happy anniversary, my love.”
However, the wedding rental project fell through and the couple moved their family to a San Diego suburb, where they bought a $2.75 million home that is now for sale.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the charges against the couple in March, after the couple initially pleaded not guilty.
“This is a multimillion-dollar criminal scheme. It was complex. It was orchestrated,” Bonta said in announcing the charges. “We’re not talking about run-of-the-mill shoplifting.”
The shoplifting gang was discovered through text messages between the couple and their team of shoplifters.