Perfume Pirate Charged in String of Thefts

A White Bear Lake woman has been charged with felony theft of over $5,000 after police say she is stole numerous bottles of fragrance from four different stores, including Ulta Beauty and JC Penney in Minnetonka.

Melissa Lynn Koenig, 36, was arrested at JC Penney in Minnetonka on April 23.

According to the criminal complaint, police officers responded to a theft report at Ulta Beauty in Richfield on March 11. An employee reported that a 5-foot, white female with strawberry blonde hair and glasses entered the store on both March 8 and March 9. The employee said the female grabbed some items and left the store without attempting to pay for any items on March 8. The employee said the suspect returned on March 9 and left the store without making any purchases.

Surveillance video from the store showed the female suspect selecting and concealing at least 12 fragrance bottles, valued at $70 each, in her bag and then exiting the store without paying, the complaint said.

After Koenig's arrest in Minnetonka, the Richfield Ulta employee identified her in a six-person line up.

According to the complaint, Koenig is also alleged to have carried out similar thefts at the Ulta stores in Maple Grove and Minnetonka, as well as JC Penny in Minnetonka. After being arrested, Koenig allegedly admitted to stealing from all four stores in a post-Miranda statement.

Minnetonka Police believe that on April 12, Koenig stole 25 bottles of perfume in the amount of $1,926 from JC Penney in Minnetonka. On April 12, Ulta staff in Minnetonka reported that the same woman, as identified by security video, had stolen several perfume bottles. On April 13, Koenig allegedly returned to the JC Penney store and stole an additional 9 perfumes. She was arrested when she returned to JC Penney on April 23.

Police believe Koenig stole at least 73 bottles of perfume in March and April. The value is in excess of $5,000.

If convicted, Koenig faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.