A self-described “professional booster” with 96 arrests on her record was nabbed again this week for allegedly stealing from an Upper East Side Target — and then released at her arraignment on Thursday, The Post has learned.
Michelle Mckelley, 42, allegedly boasted about her “hustle” at the store on Third Avenue near East 70th Street, telling cops, “I haven’t got caught in a long time,” after her latest bust Wednesday, prosecutors said in Manhattan Criminal Court.
“I’m a professional booster. Y’all are stopping my hustle,” the serial shoplifter allegedly told officers.
Speaking to The Post after her hearing, Mckelley unabashedly described how she “professionally obscures” items — including the red shirt she wore in court.
“I have to get a new outfit … so I have to go work,” Mckelley said when asked if she’d continue.
“I don’t call it stealing, I call it professional boosting,” she added matter-of-factly.
Police sources said Mckelley has 96 prior arrests, mostly for petit larceny, a misdemeanor that is not eligible for monetary bail under state law. She has at least four other open cases, one for robbery, a felony, and three for misdemeanors.
She was out on supervised release in another petit larceny at the time of the bust — and also had seven open bench warrants, prosecutors said.
The brazen “booster” has one felony conviction, two misdemeanor convictions and has failed to show up to court at least 27 times.
On Sept. 16, she allegedly also stole several items from the Upper East Side Target, including socks and bottles of Tide, before returning Dec. 11, to grab some clothes, according to a criminal complaint.
“You’re not asking for bail, people?” Judge Rachel Pauley asked prosecutors after they put in a request for supervised release.
Mckelley’s public defender supported the request, saying her client was complying with supervised release until around Dec. 1, when she became homeless.
“I’m just not convinced she’s going to comply,” Pauley said, citing Mckelley’s 27 failures to appear.
But still, the judge agreed to free Mckelley under the supervision of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES). She warned Mckelley not to miss a single appointment, not to get arrested again and to make sure to show up to her next hearing, otherwise a judge could issue a warrant and set bail.
Also on Thursday, the same judge also ordered supervised release for another alleged serial thief, Stephanie Lindao, who police sources said has 72 arrests on her record, most of them for petit larceny and burglary.
Lindao, 33, is accused of hitting up the Target at 500 Grand Street in the Lower East Side three times just this month, on Feb. 8, Feb. 10. and Feb. 11, taking items including soap, detergent and clothing, according to a criminal complaint.
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