Kansas City man pleads guilty to stealing over 400K in multi-state burglary ring

A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to the serial burglaries of businesses across six Midwest states, part of a conspiracy that allegedly netted over $400,000 in stolen goods, according to the Department of Justice.

Gary Bailey, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to transport and possess stolen property and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, according to a news release from Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey P. Ray of the Department of Justice with the Western District of Missouri.

Bailey was accused of burglarizing at least 23 stores across six states. These businesses lost over $418,000 in goods from March 2023 to January 2024, when Bailey took part in the burglaries, according to authorities.

The stolen products from beauty and liquor stores across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska were allegedly taken by Bailey and his co-conspirators, brought back to Kansas City, and sold, given away or consumed, the release said.

Bailey, as part of the plea deal, must reimburse the burgled businesses, and could potentially face up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The amount owed and time served will be determined at Bailey’s sentencing hearing.

In April, Donald Bennett, Bailey’s co-conspirator, 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.