Man charged with stealing $40,000 from Target using taco seasoning packets
A Florida man was arrested after allegedly stealing $40,000 worth of trading cards from Target in an orchestrated scheme using taco seasoning bags.
A California man is facing theft charges after he allegedly bought a Lego set from Target and returned it with pasta inside, police said.
Irvine Police Department announced on social media that Jarrell Augustine of Paramount, California, was arrested and charged with grand theft after allegedly removing Lego minifigures from boxes and replacing them with dried pasta.
Police say Target has linked Augustine to at least 70 thefts across the country totaling more than $34,000.
Augustine, 28, was booked into the Orange County Jail on April 15 and released the next day, according to arrest records. It is unclear whether he has an attorney.
USA TODAY reached out to Target for comment on April 20, but did not receive a response.
Police say Lego thief allegedly replaced toys with pasta
Irvine police shared surveillance footage of the target that allegedly showed Augustine purchasing some of the Lego sets, but the items were later returned without the toys inside.
In some cases, Augustine returned Lego boxes with bags of dried pasta similar to those used in many sets.
Authorities recovered dozens of Lego toys during the investigation, according to photos shared by the Irvine Police Department.
One photo shows dozens of bags of elbow pasta near a box of the LEGO Avengers Tower set. The LEGO Avengers Tower set sells for $499.99 on the company’s website.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. X Keep up with her at @melinakh and on Instagram @bymelinakhan.
