Aurora woman pleads guilty to Fox Valley mall thefts
A former employee accused of stealing about $16,000 in cash, merchandise and gift cards from an Aurora clothing store has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft.
Malina Phetchanpheng, 20, was sentenced to two years of probation in exchange for her plea Wednesday. She also must pay $2,950 in restitution and serve 30 days on work detail for the DuPage County sheriff’s office, according to court records.
Police arrested Phetchanpheng in December 2010 after a 2 ½-week spree at Hollister Co. in Westfield Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, authorities said. She was accused of stealing roughly $9,200 in cash and about $7,000 in clothes, gift cards and other merchandise.
Police said Phetchanpheng started with small thefts but gradually took more. Video surveillance caught her swiping money from cash registers on numerous occasions, according to police. She was also accused of stealing about $150 from a co-worker’s locker.
Phetchanpheng, of the 2300 block of Pagosa Springs Drive in Aurora, had no prior criminal history in DuPage, court records show. Judge Blanche Hill Fawell accepted her plea.