You’re standing in the aisle, holding two boxes. In one is a LEGO Star Destroyer set. In the other, a box of fusilli. You shake them both. The same hollow, plasticky rattle of dozens of individual hard pieces that would hurt like a b—h if stepped on. You rattle and rattle, and then it clicks. A brilliant criminal epiphany: if someone switches the contents of the boxes and shakes them, no one would ever be able to tell the difference.
Reader, I apologize for putting you in the shoes of a criminal mastermind. Surely you must feel sullied, but it was to help you better understand how a guy in California stole $34,000 worth of LEGOs.
According to California cops, reported by the New York Times, 28-year-old Jarrell Augustine bought a bunch of high-end LEGO kits, some priced at more than $500. We’re talking Jabba’s sail barge. That’s The Lord Of The Rings Rivendell set territory.
Anyway, he then removed the pieces and minifigures, replacing them with bags of uncooked pasta. He resealed the boxes and returned them for refunds. Investigators say pasta wasn’t just some random objects thrown in there. It was specifically chosen because it perfectly mimics the sound of loose LEGO bricks when shaken, which helped the boxes pass a quick credibility test when employees held them.
Someone Used Pasta to Pull Off a $34,000 LEGO Heist
All operations spanned about 50 thefts, and all were tied to Target locations across multiple states, including Texas, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Florida. You have to wonder, with that much traveling, if this guy was able to make a profit, or even break even. Augustine was arrested after Irvine police tracked him into his apartment, where they found a bunch of LEGO sets and components consistent with the alleged pasta fraud.
LEGO sets are a pricey commodity, which can often command steep prices, especially when rare items appreciate dramatically on the resale market. Individual minifigures have sold for thousands online. Once they sell, they’re pretty much untraceable. That’s why international theft rings centered around LEGOS have sprung up in recent years.
The LEGO/pasta swap is a brilliant innovation to a thriving global theft ring that will only continue to grow as long as LEGO remains popular and some of its wealthiest hobbyists keep inflating its resale market.
The post How a Guy Used Pasta to Steal $34,000 in LEGO Sets appeared first on VICE.
