Woman Charged in Alleged Theft of over $300K in Merchandise from California Stores: ‘These Are Not Victimless Crimes’

A woman has been charged with several felonies for taking items worth over $328,000 from Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx shops in Orange County, California.

Thirty-eight-year-old Ekaterina Zharkova of Costa Mesa was charged with four counts of grand theft, one count of receiving stolen property, and seven misdemeanor counts of petty theft, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, KTLA reported Friday.

She had additional open felony grand theft cases in Orange and Los Angeles counties and is wanted on a $320,000 warrant after failing to appear in another case recently.

During the period between October 7 and November 23, Zharkova allegedly went to TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack stores located in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and Tustin, filling empty bags with expensive merchandise and leaving without paying the bill.

The KTLA report continued:

She was arrested on Nov. 23 by the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Theft task force after an investigator witnessed her stealing more than $3,500 in merchandise from a Nordstrom Rack in Costa Mesa. Investigators followed Zharkova to the store, where they watched her fill a shopping cart with designer items, covering them with a coat before using a device to remove the security sensors, officials said. She then allegedly left the store without paying for the merchandise.

She was taken into custody outside the South Coast shopping center and a few days later, posted $20,000 bond and was reportedly let go.

“A search warrant was served at the woman’s residence, which was ‘packed wall to wall in every room’ with stolen merchandise worth more than $328,000, according to CHP. The items still had their store tags and disabled security sensors in place,” the outlet said.

Authorities said they believe she was trying to resell the merchandise via a luxury online consignment shop.

“Shoplifting and other retail theft is out of control across California as a result of reckless laws that have made the risk far less than the potential reward,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a social media post.

“These are not victimless crimes and if you engage in these kinds of outrageous theft schemes we’re going to arrest you, we’re going to prosecute you, and we’re putting you behind bars,” he added.

"I have assigned some of my most experienced investigators to work with the California Highway Patrol’s organized retail theft taskforce and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to help protect Orange County businesses from being victimized and protect consumers …"

— OCDA Todd Spitzer (@OCDAToddSpitzer) December 10, 2021

"…from increased costs. We’re not tolerating this in Orange County.”

— OCDA Todd Spitzer (@OCDAToddSpitzer) December 10, 2021

Meanwhile, prosecutors and retailers voiced disagreement on assertions from California’s governor and attorney general that they have the needed tools to combat retail theft in the aftermath of voter-approved easing of laws relating to the problem, the Associated Press (AP) reported December 3.

Zharkova will be arraigned on February 3 and faces a maximum sentence of nine years and two months if she is convicted on every count, the KTLA article read.