Former Mrs. America Convicted of Felony in Macy's Scheme

Former Mrs. America, Jennifer Susan Kline has been convicted of stealing $5,000 from Macy's in a fraudulent returns scheme, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office reports.

Authorities allege that Kline spent thousands of dollars on designer clothes at a Macy's in Edina, Minnesota, in November 2015. She then allegedly took the tags off the clothes, placed them on clothes she already owned and returned her old clothes to two different Macy's locations, receiving a $5,500 refund.

In a police complaint, Macy's alleges that the returned clothes were dirty and showed signs of wear. Police searched Kline's home and found 24 items that the former beauty queen had purportedly returned.

"The tags were taken off and were placed onto clothes that looked similar, but were not the same name brand," said Sgt. Kevin Rofidal of the Edina Police Department told ABC News last year. "There was more than just grabbing merchandise and walking out the door."

After a seven day trial, Kline, who was crowned Mrs. America in 1989, was found guilty of a single felony count of theft by swindle Tuesday by a jury. The jury determined that the amount of the theft was more than $1,000 but less than $5,000.

The 51-year-old's attorney argued that his client made a dumb mistake, but that it was Macy's fault for having such an easy return policy.

Kline will be sentenced on Oct. 18 and could face up to five years in prison.

Photo Credit: Edina Police Department