Woman charged in scheme to steal over 1,000 luxury clothing items worth $800,000

A Michigan woman faces multiple fraud charges in connection to a scheme to steal over $800,000 in luxury clothing and goods from rental websites to resell online, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday.

The Department of Justice said Brandalene Horn, 42, was arrested on Wednesday in Freeland, Michigan and faces mail fraud, wire fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen property charges.

"As alleged, Brandalene Horn perpetrated a lucrative scheme in which she defrauded at least three victim companies, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury and designer items, and then sold those stolen items online. Thanks to the work of the prosecutors and investigators of my Office, Horn now faces criminal federal charges for her alleged deceptive behavior and fraudulent activity," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

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More than 1,000 items worth over $800,000

Federal prosecutors accused Horn of opening hundreds of accounts with at least three subscription-based clothing rental companies and defrauding them.

According to a federal complaint, from at least April 2022 through February 2024, Horn did not return pieces, sometimes worth thousands of dollars from the companies, and then sold them on an e-commerce marketplace.

Horn is alleged to have stolen over 1,000 items, valued at over $823,000, from the companies and sold over $750,000 worth of stolen items.

"Horn’s listings for the stolen items on the e-commerce marketplace often used the victim companies’ proprietary photographs and item descriptions that substantially matched the descriptions used by the victim companies," the complaint said.

The complaint said that despite attempts to charge Horn for the items, she avoided the bills by disputing charges with her credit union or canceling the credit and debit cards she used to rent the items.

When the companies would flag or close one of her accounts, she "opened new accounts so she could continue stealing and selling luxury and designer goods," the complaint said.

Conviction could bring multiple years in prison

If convicted, Horn could spend multiple years in federal prison. According to the Justice Department, the mail and wire fraud charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years and the interstate transportation of stolen property charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.