November 7, 2026
LIBERTY, Mo. — A woman who pleaded guilty to felony stealing following a series of Bath & Body Works thefts in the Kansas City area was sentenced to three years in prison on October 28, according to Missouri court records.
Ariana Milan pleaded guilty September 1 to a Class D felony count of stealing merchandise valued at $750 or more. A Clay County judge ordered a three-year term in the Missouri Department of Corrections and credited Milan for 208 days previously served in the Clay County Jail.
According to the court’s sentencing entry, Milan must also pay $1,721 in restitution and a $75 administrative fee.
Two store thefts less than 20 minutes apart
According to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office, Milan and another woman entered a Bath & Body Works store on North Madison Avenue in Kansas City on February 8, 2024, filled baskets with candles and gift sets, and left without paying.
Less than 20 minutes later, prosecutors said, the women entered a second Bath & Body Works location on South Stewart Road in Liberty, again filling baskets with merchandise before leaving without paying.
Surveillance video from both locations showed Milan wearing a red Nike jacket and camouflage pants, prosecutors said. Investigators with the Kansas City, Missouri, and Liberty police departments collaborated with Kansas City, Kansas, police to identify her using booking photographs, social media comparisons and a distinctive Playboy Bunny tattoo on her neck.
Prosecutors said Milan admitted her involvement when confronted with the evidence.
Prosecutor’s announcement differs from court record
The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office described Milan’s prison sentence as four years in its public announcement. However, Missouri Case.net’s sentencing entry and the court judgment worksheet both identify the October 28 sentence as three years in Department of Corrections custody. The reason for the discrepancy was not established in the materials reviewed by VOTP News STL.
The prosecutor’s office said retail theft can raise consumer prices, threaten local jobs and compromise the safety of workers and shoppers. It also thanked the participating police departments, courts and assistant prosecutors for their roles in the investigation and prosecution.
The records reviewed did not establish the identity or disposition of any case involving the second woman.
Case: State of Missouri v. Ariana Milan, 24CY-CR02768-01. The public docket can be searched through Missouri Case.net.
Sources: Missouri Case.net sentencing entry and judgment worksheet; Clay County Prosecutor’s Office public announcement provided to VOTP News STL.
