Woman charged with stealing more than $328K in merchandise from several O.C. stores

A woman has been charged with multiple felonies for stealing items worth more than $328,000 from Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx stores in Orange County and attempting to resell the stolen items through a luxury item online consignment store. She also has open felony grand theft cases in Orange County and Los Angeles.

Ekaterina Zharkova, 38, of Costa Mesa, has been charged with four felony counts of grand theft, one felony count of receiving stolen property, and seven misdemeanor counts of petty theft. She faces a maximum sentence of nine years and two months if convicted on all counts in this case.

Between October 7, 2021, and November 23, 2021, Zharkova is accused of going to several TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack stores in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and Tustin where she filled empty shopping bags from the stores with thousands of dollars of merchandise and left without paying.

She was arrested on November 23, 2021 by the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Theft task force after an investigator witnessed her stealing merchandise from a Nordstrom Rack in Costa Mesa.

A search of Zharkova’s apartment revealed more than $328,000 worth of stolen merchandise.

“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,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “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. 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 from increased costs. We’re not tolerating this in Orange County.”

Deputy District Attorney Brendan Sullivan is prosecuting this case.