SAN DIEGO — Charges were announced against a San Diego County woman accused of leading a statewide retail crime spree of more than $8 million in beauty products
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges on Friday and said the scheme targeted Ulta Beauty stores in 21 counties across the state including San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County and Riverside County.
Following a CBS 8 investigation in December 2023, CBS 8 learned through search warrants that federal agents arrested Michelle Mack from Bonsall as the head of the criminal enterprise.
The Attorney General’s office has not officially named Mack as the woman charged with running the retail theft operation.
During the investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, California Department of Justice, USPS, CHP collaborated with retail crime teams from Ulta and Sephora.
Mack is accused of recruiting young women to steal beauty products from Ulta locations in 21 counties before selling them at a discount on her Amazon Storefront
“Ulta Beauty is proud to partner with the California Department of Justice and Attorney General’s Office on this investigation, and we are grateful for their commitment to this important issue,” said Dan Petrousek, Ulta Beauty's senior vice president of loss prevention.
Federal raid
A CBS 8 investigation revealed on Dec. 6, 2023, officers and federal agents raided Mack's Bonsall residence and according to the warrants arrested Mack.
At the Bonsall residence, law enforcement "located and seized hundreds of parcels prepped for shipment that would be ultimately mailed at the local Post Office," said the warrant.
Agents also found a "mini-store" of stolen goods and cosmetics worth approximately $350,000.
According to the search warrants, officers then discovered that Mack was the head of an Amazon Marketplace store that had listings for over 300 cosmetic items.
Reads the warrant, "The items listed for sale were nearly 50% off the actual retail price, which was included in the sales listing. This steep discount suggested the items were being fenced."
The investigation found that Mack's "Online Makeup Store" had documented nearly $2 million in sales in 2022.
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