Man allegedly stole $34,000 in Legos by filling boxes with dried pasta
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A California man allegedly hatched a bizarre Lego theft plot, but police say it was foiled piece by piece.
Jarrelle Augustine, 28, of Paramount, is accused of buying LEGO sets from Target, removing valuable minifigures and pieces, then returning the boxes after filling them with dried pasta, Irvine police said.
Investigators linked him to nearly 70 burglaries across the country, resulting in a total of about $34,000 in damage.
The Irving Police Department said detectives used surveillance to identify Augustine as a suspect. He was taken into custody and booked into the Orange County Jail on charges of grand larceny.
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Surveillance and body camera footage released by Irvine police show Jarrelle Augustine picking up Lego sets at a Target store and later being arrested. (Surveillance and body camera footage released by Irvine police allege Jarrelle Augustine picked up Lego sets from a Target store and was later arrested.)
Police shared details about the incident social media post — and added a humorous warning about the unconventional method.
“If your master plan involves replacing LEGOs with linguine, we can promise your plan will come true al dente,” Irvine police said in a Facebook post.
In the video released by the police, the suspect is seen taking LEGO sets from the shelf of a store and going out.
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Lego minifigures are shown arranged in compartments after investigators say they were removed from retail sets due to a theft plot. (Irvine Police Department)
The footage then shows officers arresting him on body camera video.
While the unusual incident sparked reactions on the internet, some social media users also turned to humor.
“This case had a lot of noodles. Using your noodles is good for IPD!” wrote one reviewer.
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Authorities said the suspect filled the Lego boxes with dried pasta to fake its original weight before returning them as part of the theft scheme. (Irvine Police Department)
“You mean to tell me she’s an… impasta?! I’ll handle it,” another joked.
Others questioned the method, with one user asking: “Stealing Legos and Goya beans? WTF?”
