Woman ran basement 'online boutique' of stolen goods, police say

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (KTVI) -- Authorities believe an East St. Louis, Ill. woman with a history of theft cases ran an online boutique out of her basement where she was selling stolen merchandise.

Chesterfield Police Sgt. Keith Rider said about $20,000 worth of stolen merchandise was discovered at the East St. Louis home of 29-year-old Twanna Trotter during a police search last November.

Rider said Trotter and others stole the merchandise from many areas, including Chesterfield, then Trotter would try to sell it on Facebook.

"She basically had a boutique set up in her basement where she would advertise what she had and show them on the live video and, I guess, hoping for people to come and buy those products for her," Rider said. "I describe it as the QVC of stolen clothes. I mean, she had things set up and things she was planning on selling that day."

Rider says his detectives would actually watch Trotter's Facebook Live sessions to see what she was selling.

On Thursday, Trotter pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison for separate cases including a 2018 theft at a Chesterfield Walmart.

Rider said the case at Trotter's home is still under investigation by authorities in Illinois.