SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A woman believed to be at the top of a statewide retail crime scheme involving $8 million worth of beauty products is being charged, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday.
Bonta’s office says the scheme spanned 21 counties, including several in Northern California — Placer, Sacramento, Solano, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Yolo.
They believe the alleged ringleader, who they did not immediately identify, recruited young women to steal from Ulta Beauty and other stores before turning around and selling the stolen items on her Amazon storefront for a fraction of the retail price.
Investigators searched her home and found large amounts of makeup stored, organized and being prepared for shipping. An estimated $400,000 in product was recovered during recent home searches, though Bonta’s office says the multi-year loss is estimated at more than $7.8 million.
“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. “The rise in organized retail crime affects all retailers, consumers and communities, and we believe it’s important to take action to deter the criminals perpetuating this problem. Not only does organized retail crime jeopardize the safety of our store associates and guests, but it also results in potentially unsafe or damaged products being resold online to consumers under false pretenses. We will continue to work closely with authorities to decrease the occurrence of retail theft that not only affects our stores but retailers nationwide.”
