AP/MINNEAPOLIS A couple from Connecticut has been charged in Minnesota with participating in a theft ring that is suspected of stealing approximately $1 million worth of merchandise nationwide from the high-end athletic wear company Lululemon.
This month, two Danbury, Connecticut residents, Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, were charged with one felony count of organized retail theft. According to court documents, both were released last week after posting bail bonds of $30,000 for her and $100,000 for him. On December 16, they must be returned to Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul.
The criminal filings state that even prior to the pair’s initial encounter with police on Nov. 14 at a Roseville, California store, a Lululemon investigator had been following them. According to the accusations, the investigator informed police that the couple was accountable for losses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars nationwide. It said that they would make false returns and take goods.
According to the complaint, when police searched the couple’s Bloomington hotel room, they discovered luggage filled with over $50,000 worth of Lululemon apparel.
The lawsuit stated that the investigator suspected them of stealing from Lululemon outlets in Colorado, Utah, New York, and Connecticut. They were also charged with stealing from stores in Minneapolis and the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina, and Minnetonka in Minnesota.
According to the complaint, the two were part of a group that would typically travel to a city, hit Lululemon stores there for two days, then return to the East Coast to exchange the items without receipts for new ones, return the new items with the return receipts for credit card refunds, and repeat the thefts.
It claimed that Richards would visit the business first and purchase one or two inexpensive goods in at least some of the crimes. After that, he would go back to the sales floor and, with Lawes-Richards’ assistance, they would take a security sensor off of something else and attach it to one of the things he had just bought. Then Lawes-Richards and another woman would wear their clothes with leggings hidden underneath.
After that, they would depart together. According to the complaint, when the door’s security sensors sounded, he would present the bag containing the things he had purchased to the employees while the women continued to leave, tricking them into believing that his sensor was the cause of the warning.
Richards’ lawyer chose not to comment. A call on Monday for comment was not immediately answered by Lawes-Richards’ public defender.
According to a statement from Tristen Shields, vice president of asset protection at Lululemon, “this result further highlights our continued cooperation with law enforcement and our investments in cutting-edge technology, team training, and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable.” Our commitment to addressing and preventing this industry-wide problem is unwavering.
A state statute that was passed last year and aims to combat organized retail theft is the basis for the two’s prosecution. According to Sen. Ron Latz of St. Louis Park, one of its main creators, organized retail crime legislation are already in place in 34 states.
In a statement, Latz said, “I’m happy to see it’s working as intended to bring down criminal operations.” Retailers suffer from this kind of theft in a number of ways, such as decreased economic activity, job loss, and risks to employee safety when crime is not addressed. Additionally, it hurts customers by increasing prices and reselling tainted goods online.
In August, two women from Minnesota were also charged under the new law. They were charged with attacking a Minneapolis Lululemon store.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!