Pair charged with stealing almost $1 million in Lululemon merchandise nationwide

A Connecticut couple, Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested and charged with organized retail theft after allegedly stealing nearly $1 million worth of items from Lululemon stores across the country. The couple, along with an unidentified man, were caught stealing almost $5,000 worth of items from a Lululemon location in Roseville, Minnesota. An investigator for Lululemon revealed that the couple, along with an organized crime group, had been conducting thefts since September on a national scale. The couple’s theft scheme involved Richards purchasing small items, attaching security sensors to them, and then stealing larger items by concealing them under their clothes and jackets. Lawes-Richards and another individual would then walk out of the store ahead of Richards with the stolen items, while Richards would offer his bag with the small purchased items to staff to avoid suspicion. A search of a hotel room rented by Richards in Bloomington, Minnesota, uncovered suitcases containing an estimated $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing. Both Richards and Lawes-Richards were booked into the Ramsey County Jail and released on bail, with their next court date scheduled for Dec. 16. Attorneys for the couple have not commented on the situation.

Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com