(WWJ) – A housekeeper has been sentenced to jail for stealing more than half a million worth of jewelry and valuables from Metro Detroit homes she worked in.
Beata Tarnawska was sentenced Friday to 11 months in jail, with credit for 45 days already served, according to a report from the Oakland Press.
Tarnawska pleaded guilty in January to three counts of larceny over $20,000 and four counts of larceny over $1,000. She will also be required to pay restitution, which is expected to be determined at a hearing in May. She will also serve three years probation after her jail sentence, according to the report.
Additional counts of larceny were dismissed.
Tarnawska was charged last January after being accused of stealing an estimated $571,000 worth of items. Police began investigating the previous fall when one of her clients confronted her about a stolen watch in West Bloomfield, which she had admitted to, according to prior reports.
She was also accused of stealing cash, coins and other jewelry from homes where she worked. WDIV in Detroit reported Monday families victimized by Tarnawska appeared in court to share the impact of the crimes goes beyond monetary value, as many items had been family heirlooms that were handed down.
One woman told the judge her grandma had left her a pair of earrings to wear on her wedding day, but they were stolen.
Victims were allegedly in West Bloomfield, Grosse Pointe, Birmingham and Sylvan Lake.
She allegedly sold items on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook, other online sites and at pawn shops. She would then use that money to pay for expensive dinners, shopping trips and even a trip to Las Vegas, according to WDIV.
