Former Mrs. Minnesota convicted of switching price tags on clothes

A former Mrs. Minnesota, Jennifer Kline, of Wayzata, was convicted of felony theft by swindle for switching price tags on clothing she bought at the Southdale Macy's store, authorities said.

The trial in Hennepin County District Court lasted a week. The jury determined that the amount of the theft was more than $1,000 but less than $5,000.

The scheme, according to court documents, involved Kline buying expensive clothes, then taking them home and attaching the price tags from the new clothes onto clothing she already owned. She would then return the old clothes to a different Macy's store for a large refund on her credit card.

Kline admitted that she had a supply of plastic tag holders and the equipment to attach the price tags to clothing.

Her attorney argued that Kline made a dumb mistake but that it was Macy's fault for having such an easy return policy.

Kline, 51, won the title of Mrs. Minnesota in 1989 and was a TV host on the ShopNBC/Evine Live program.

She will be sentenced on Oct. 18.

Although state law allows a sentence of up to five years in prison, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines call for a stayed sentence and up to a year in jail for the crime.