California man arrested for allegedly swapping in pasta for Lego pieces then returning them
Summary
A California man named Jarrelle Augustine was arrested for allegedly stealing Lego sets from Target by removing the Lego pieces and replacing them with pasta before returning the boxes. Authorities say he caused about $34,000 in losses through this scam, which was uncovered after Target staff noticed missing pieces during returns.Key Facts
- Jarrelle Augustine, 28, was arrested on April 14 for grand theft related to Lego sets.
- He allegedly swapped Lego pieces, including valuable figurines, with dried pasta in the boxes.
- Target reported at least 70 theft incidents linked to Augustine across the US.
- The total estimated loss from these returns is around $34,000.
- Police started investigating after Target's loss prevention team noticed open Lego boxes missing parts.
- The investigation began in December 2025 and involved surveillance to identify Augustine.
- Other Lego theft cases with similar methods have recently occurred in California.
- Target could not resell returned Lego sets that had missing or swapped components.
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