A couple from California were arrested and charged with organized retail theft on November 14 for alleged theft in Lululemon stores across the country. Lululemon investigators estimate that the couple has stolen items that amount to at least $1 Million.
According to a complaint filed in Minnesota obtained by multiple outlets, the couple, Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, are accused of stealing from various Lululemon stores across the country since September of this year. It is also alleged that they are part of an organized crime group.
As reported by multiple outlets, after the couple was arrested, their hotel room in JW Marriott in Bloomington, Minnesota was searched. The search turned up three suitcases of merchandise with tags attached, estimated to be worth $50,000.
The couple who were booked into Ramsey County Jail were later released on bail. Akwele was released on November 19 on $30,000 bail while Richards was released on November 21 on $100,000 bail, NBC reported.
How did the Couple Allegedly commit the crime in Lululemon stores?
Although the couple is alleged to have employed multiple methods to steal items from the stores, according to multiple reports, one of their known methods is as follows,
According to NBC News, the group goes to a store, and one of them, usually Richard, purchases small items. Now, they take another item from the store, remove their security sensors, and attach them to the purchased items. They steal other items, conceal them in their clothes, and walk out of the store. When the security sensor bleeps, Richard shows the staff the small items he purchased with the security tags, while the other person leaves the store with the stolen products.
Since they don't have receipts for the stolen items, the couple would then go to another store and exchange the items without a receipt for slightly more expensive items. They will pay the difference in amount and receive a receipt for the items, reports the New York Times. The couple, now with a receipt, will take the goods to another store and return the product for a refund.
Events leading to Richards and Akwele's arrest
According to multiple reports on November 14, the couple was stopped by the staff at a Lululemon store in Roseville, Minnesota, as the security sensor went off. The couple accused the store of racially profiling them and the store let them leave.
Trending
USA Today reported that the Lululemon investigators later alleged that the two had visited their store with an unidentified man on November 13 and stole items worth $5000. Later, the police arrested them from another Lululemon store in Woodbury, Minnesota.
The couple deny all the allegations against them. They are due in court on December 16 and if found guilty they might face a maximum sentence of 15 years and/or a $35,000 fine, The Guardian reports.
Reply
