KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a scheme in which the conspirators stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from beauty and liquor stores across six states, according to the United State's Attorney.
Gary Bailey, 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, to one count of conspiring to transport and possess stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
By pleading guilty, Bailey admitted that between March 2023 and January 2024, he participated in burglarizing at least 23 stores across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Bailey and his co-conspirators brought the stolen product back to Kansas City, before either selling it, giving it away to family or friends, or consuming the product themselves. The loss to these 23 victim businesses exceeded $418,000.
On April 22, 2025, co-conspirator Donald Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to transport and possess stolen property, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, and one count of money laundering.
As part of the plea agreement, Bailey must pay restitution to the victim businesses; the exact amount to be determined at his sentencing hearing. Under federal statutes, Bailey is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.