Fraudster pocketed $750K by reselling items stolen from luxury rental sites: prosecutors
A Michigan woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly selling more than 1,000 designer duds she got on rental sites in a scheme that had her pocketing more than $750,000.
Brandalene “Brandy” Horn, 42, was nabbed at her Freeland home for allegedly stealing $823,000 worth of designer clothing from three unidentified rental companies under the username “cashhorn” between April 2022 and February 2024, according to the US Attorney’s office and federal prosecutors.
High-end brands — such as Farm Rio, Bottega Veneta and LoveShackFancy — appear on her Poshmark account, which remained active as of Wednesday night with plenty of items still up for grabs, including clothing from BHLDN and MadeWorn.
“As alleged, Brandalene Horn perpetrated a lucrative scheme in which she defrauded at least three victim companies, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury and designer items, and then sold those stolen items online,” Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said.
“Horn now faces criminal federal charges for her alleged deceptive behavior and fraudulent activity.”
Horn was charged with one count of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
She faces a total of 50 years in prison, if convicted.
Horn created hundreds of online accounts to obtain the items from the rental sites, prosecutors said.
“After receiving rental items, including pieces worth thousands of dollars, Horn kept, instead of returned, the items from the victim companies and sold them on an e-commerce marketplace.”
The companies would try to charge Horn for the stolen items, but were unable to because she either disputed the charges with her credit union or canceled the card the purchase was associated with, prosecutors said.
Her accounts eventually got flagged and closed, but the Midwesterner would continue to open new accounts to acquire more luxury and designer goods to allegedly sell, they added.
In one instance, Horn sold a K.ngsley Cherie Gown, which retails for $1,100 on the designer’s website, for a whopping $189. However, her alleged fraud more than likely still made a profit, as the same gown goes for $180 be on Rent the Runway.
The US Attorney’s Southern District of New York Office began investigating Horn — who has several aliases — in June 2023 after one of the companies notified the office that they believed she was selling under “cashhorn” on Poshmark.
The company told the investigator, Deleassa Penland, that Horn had rented the Daisy Halter Maxi made by Mira Mikati, which retails for around $775, and was delivered to her on March 24, 2023.
The same dress was listed on Horn’s alleged Poshmark account, which Penland purchased on Oct. 23, 2023, under the name Michael Smith, alongside the Cherie dress and others. The orders were delivered to a PO box in Manhattan days later.
Both dresses’ tags contained residue on the label, indicating that Horn more than likely removed the heat-sensitive tag.
The investigation found Horn had allegedly sold 1,063 items she had stolen from the rental company.
The alleged fraudster was due before the Eastern District Court of Michigan Wednesday.
