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#’Professional booster’ shoplifted from same UES store 10 times: NYPD

“‘Professional booster’ shoplifted from same UES store 10 times: NYPD”

A woman who dubbed herself a “professional booster” after she was nabbed for shoplifting earlier this year has been arrested again — for allegedly robbing the same Manhattan drug store 10 times, police said.

Michelle Mckelley, 42, now has 108 arrests under her belt following her latest bust Wednesday, when she was charged with 10 separate petty larcenies from the Rite Aid at Second Avenue and East 96th Street, cops and a police source said.

“She has 108 arrests!” the Manhattan cop exclaimed. “What are they waiting for 200 arrests to hold her? When does it stop? It’s making a mockery of the system.”

Mckelley’s alleged spree at the Rite Aid started April 21, and resulted in the theft of dozens of body washes, hair products, soaps, candy and other items worth a total of $1,375, police said. 

On April 29, she allegedly stole “10 summer coolers” worth $350, according to police. It wasn’t clear how she managed to take the large coolers from the store without detection, cops said.

On May 17, she allegedly used a suitcase to steal denim leggings, multiple bottles of body wash, a number of air fresheners and other products worth $210.

Michelle Mckelley was arrested for allegedly stealing from the same Manhattan Rite Aid 10 separate times since April 21.
Michelle Mckelley was arrested for allegedly stealing from the same Manhattan Rite Aid 10 separate times since April 21.
Steven Hirsch for NY Post

Mckelley was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday.

Her arrest for the Rite Aid spree came three days after she was nabbed for stealing from a Target on Columbus Avenue and 100th Street on Sunday.

On that visit, she is accused of stealing four containers of Tide Pods, two Sun Squad backpacks, one package of Chips Ahoy, four Febreze air fresheners and six Glade air fresheners for a total value of $139, according to police.

A Manhattan judge freed her on supervised release.

Mckelley allegedly shoplifted $1,375 worth of merchandise from the Rite Aid at Second Avenue and East 96th Street in Manhattan.
Mckelley allegedly shoplifted $1,375 worth of merchandise from the Rite Aid at Second Avenue and East 96th Street in Manhattan.
Google Maps

Back in February, she was nabbed for allegedly stealing from a Target on Third Avenue near East 70th Street — in what was believed to be her 96th arrest.

After that bust, Mckelley allegedly told cops, “I haven’t got caught in a long time,” prosecutors said.

Mckelley called herself a “professional booster” after a shoplifting arrest earlier this year.
Mckelley called herself a “professional booster” after a shoplifting arrest earlier this year.
Steven Hirsch for NY Post

“I’m a professional booster. Y’all are stopping my hustle,” the serial shoplifter allegedly told officers, according to prosecutors.

Speaking to The Post after her arraignment — where she was released — Mckelley said, “I don’t call it stealing, I call it professional boosting.”

Most of her arrests were for petit larceny, a misdemeanor that is not eligible for monetary bail under state law.

“You have people who keep stealing items from these stores,” the Manhattan cop said. “It’s affecting urban living. Stores are moving and people have to travel to other areas to get what they need. And nobody’s doing anything about it.”

The judge in Mckelley’s Febrary case agreed to free her under the supervision of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), while warning her not to get arrested again.

Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD Detective Sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the program clearly didn’t work for Mckelley.

“The city and activists have been trying to push people into alternatives to jail but apparently that’s no deterrence for Michelle,” Giacalone said.

“At this point, they need to hold her on bail and she needs to do some time. She’s a walking crime wave.”

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