Stockton Woman Sentenced to Prison for Online Sales of More Than $1 Million in Stolen Merchandise

FRESNO, CA—Thuy Vi Thi Wagner, 34, of Stockton, was sentenced on Monday, January 28, 2013, by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to four years and three months in federal prison for mail fraud and aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today.

According to court documents, between 2002 and September 2010, Wagner personally shoplifted large amounts of women’s designer clothing from department stores. She then sold these stolen items at approximately one-third of the retail price to buyers in California and other states through an online auction website. Wagner did not disclose to unsuspecting buyers that the merchandise was stolen. Once buyers made payments to her Internet-based account, she mailed them the merchandise. Wagner obtained more than $400,000 from buyers of the stolen merchandise. The retail value of merchandise Wagner shoplifted from department stores in furtherance of the fraud scheme exceeded $1 million.

Wagner also aided and assisted in preparing and presenting a false tax return for tax year 2007 that did not disclose approximately $105,056 of net income from the sale of approximately 2,236 items of stolen clothing in 2007.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Henry Z. Carbajal, III prosecuted the case.