Pasta for Bricks: Lego Scammer Nabbed!

A man from Paramount, California, has been arrested for a clever fraud scheme involving Lego sets and uncooked pasta. Jarrelle Augustine, 28, allegedly purchased numerous high-value Lego kits from Target stores across the country. He would then replace the toy pieces with bags of pasta before returning the boxes for full refunds.

This elaborate plan allowed Augustine to allegedly accumulate over $34,000 through at least 70 fraudulent transactions. Target employees eventually noticed a pattern of complaints from customers who discovered pasta instead of Legos in the purchased sets. This led to police surveillance and Augustine's arrest.

Investigators seized evidence, including the packaging for sought-after sets like the Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser and the Marvel Avengers Tower, alongside bags of Goya elbow pasta. Augustine was booked into jail on grand theft charges but has since been released. Target is now conducting inventory audits to identify any other instances of this scam.

This incident highlights the growing value of Lego sets, with some rare kits and minifigures fetching thousands of dollars. While Augustine's scheme was unique, other Lego-related thefts, including cargo theft and the resale of figurines, have also been reported.