Federal authorities ordered a Texas woman to pay $3.8 million for selling stolen goods on eBay for 19 years

• A Texas woman has to pay $3.8 million for selling shoplifted merchandise on eBay for 19 years, the Department of Justice said. 
• Kim Richardson, a 63-year-old Dallas resident, pleaded guilty in December and was ordered on Thursday to serve 54 months in federal prison.
• Richardson “used shoplifting tools to disable security devices and would exit the store by placing the stolen merchandise in a large black bag she carried,” a department release said. 
• She participated in a “multi-million dollar interstate theft ring” that spanned from August 2000 through April 2019, according to federal authorities.
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A Texas woman will serve prison time and has to pay $3.8 million in damages for selling shoplifted merchandise on eBay for 19 years, the Department of Justice said. 

Kim Richardson, a 63-year-old Dallas resident, participated in a “multi-million dollar interstate theft ring” that spanned from August 2000 through April 2019, according to a press release. In that time, federal investigators said she traveled around the United States and shoplifted merchandise that she later sold directly to customers on eBay. 

“She used shoplifting tools to disable security devices and would exit the store by placing the stolen merchandise in a large black bag she carried,” the release said. “Richardson assisted in the sale of the items on the internet as well as packaging and mailing the stolen items.”

About $3.8 million was sent in total to four PayPal accounts linked to Richardson from buyers, throughout the 19 years.

The Secret Service and FBI investigated the case and assistant US Attorney Belinda Beek of the Southern District of Texas prosecuted the case.

Richardson pleaded guilty in December. She was ordered to serve 54 months in federal prison and her sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.