Jarrelle Augustine bought pricey Lego sets from Target stores across the nation at least 70 times, according to authorities. He allegedly replaced Lego pieces and minifigures with bags of uncooked pasta and returned the sets to stores for refunds. Target officials caught on to the scheme after customers purchased Lego sets, found pasta instead, and complained to employees, police said.
Police staked out various Target stores across Orange County and identified Augustine as a suspect. Evidence collected includes an instruction book for a Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser Lego set, which retails for $80, and the box for a Marvel Avengers Tower Building Set, a 5,201-piece kit that retails for $500 on the Lego website. Several bags of Goya brand elbow-shaped pasta, which sell for less than $2 a bag, were also seized.
Augustine was booked into the Orange County jail but has since been released. Target is expected to continue auditing its inventory to determine whether any other pasta-filled boxes remain on shelves or in the return cycle. Prosecutors will review the 70-linked cases to determine whether any additional charges could be filed across various jurisdictions.
This case highlights a broader trend of Lego theft in California. On April 8, three California men were charged with cargo theft after being stopped while fleeing in two box trucks filled with $1 million worth of Legos. In October, police in California broke up a Lego theft ring that focused on reselling small character figurines.
Some thieves have managed to grab more than $100,000 worth of Legos in burglaries, as bricks can sell for hundreds of dollars. High-value sets like the Lego Death Star retail for about $1,000, and some kits and minifigures have seen prices widely marked up, such as the Lego San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Spider-Man, assessed at more than $15,000.