Source: CFOTO/Getty/Lululemon
A couple from Connecticut traveled and finally found out after reportedly going to a Lululemon to fuel the spree across the country.
NBC News exhibitions that Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were pinched at a Lululemon store in Woodbury, Minnesota, and charged with organized retail theft on Nov. 4.
According to the news site, the pair raised about $1 million in Lululemon merchandise nationwide. Prior to their arrest, the complaint notes that the pair visited another Lululemon location in Roseville, Minnesota, with an unknown man, where they allegedly stole $5,000 worth of product.
The pair allegedly had a sophisticated theft plan which they used when they visited the locations which ensured they could make off with the goods.
Per NBC News:
A Lululemon investigator said the pair and the organized crime group they work for have been stealing from stores across the country since September and are responsible for nearly $1 million in financial losses for the company, according to the complaint.
The detective explained how the pair allegedly carried out their theft plan, with Richards usually entering the store first and buying a few small items. Richards and Lawes-Richards would then remove a security sensor from another item in the shop which they would attach to the small items Richards bought, then steal other items which they would hide under their clothes and jackets.
Lawes-Richards and a third person walked out of the store ahead of Richards with the stolen items, and when the store's security sensor beeped, Richards offered her bag containing the small purchased item with a sensor connected to this. staff, according to the complaint. The couple would then take the stolen items to another store to exchange them without a receipt.
Well hell.
Lululemon's statement on the couple's arrest
In a statement, Lululemon's vice president of asset protection, Tristen Shields, spoke about the pair's arrest, saying the company is committed to “creating a safe environment” for shoppers and staff.
Shields continued, “This result continues to highlight our ongoing partnership with law enforcement and our investment in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable . We remain committed to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this issue across the industry.”
After the couple was arrested, authorities obtained a search warrant. They found large suitcases containing about $50,000 worth of Lululemon products in a rented room at the JW Marriott in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Online records show the couple was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on Nov. 14. NBC News reports that Lawes-Richards was released on $30,000 bond on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and Richards was released on Thursday, Nov. 21 on $100,000 bond.
