The Beauty Bandits

Michelle Mack seemed to be living the dream life, until it all came crashing down. Authorities say the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar crime ring delivered a simple order: Steal all the luxury makeup in sight.

- SARAH TRELEAVEN

Late last summer, Kimora Gooding and Serena Reyes arrived on the East Coast. For the two women in their early twenties, it was a business trip of sorts, or maybe a mission. Their flights, rental car, and hotel rooms had been paid for, and they carried a list of beauty stores to visit and specific items to steal. The plan was to get in and get out, ship the goods to the boss in California, and head home, hopefully without a trace. Gooding and Reyes were pros-they had each hit dozens of stores, according to an affidavit for a federal search warrant, and could scan for merchandise like they had eyes in the backs of their heads.

The two women headed to Ulta Beauty, a nationwide emporium of beauty, skin care, and fragrances, and consulted their "shopping list," sent to them via Facebook or text-allegedly the only way they ever communicated with the boss.

And then their sticky fingers got to work, collecting serums and lash-lengthening mascaras, the more coveted the better.

But what Gooding and Reyes didn't know is that they were being watched-and had been for a while. Since August 2023, the California Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations had been looking into a series of thefts at Ulta Beauty stores, with assistance from corporate investigators employed by Ulta. The suspects scooped up in the related busts were almost always young women, typically with previous theft arrests.

Soon the authorities zeroed in on a group who appeared to be working in concert. Between September 2021 and fall 2023, the group committed over 230 thefts from Ulta Beauty retail stores across the country, stealing thousands of products. According to a complaint filed by California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, their ground zero appeared to be California, where thefts had occurred in 21 counties, in cities from Sacramento to San Diego, and not just at Ulta, but also at Sephora, Sunglass Hut, and others.