Woman pleads guilty after $188,000 shoplifting spree that included Missouri, Illinois stores

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A 19-year-old woman has pleaded guilty in court after stealing from stores around several states, including Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.

The U.S. District Court in St. Louis said Ionela Chiciu pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. The court says her shoplifting has cost retailers in various states $188,000.

Chiciu traveled from California to Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. She was working with unnamed co-conspirators. They stole $2097 worth of products from Kansas and headed to Missouri. The court said they stole $9,725 worth of cosmetic products from a store in Independence before stealing $19,000 worth of cosmetics and merchandise from five stores in Illinois.

Chiciu and co-conspirators then drove a car with stolen goods from Illinois to Chesterfield, Missouri, where they stole $13,853 worth of products before being arrested.