California Man Busted for $34K Lego Scam: Swapped Sets With Pasta

Irving, California police arrested 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine on April 14 for allegedly running a $34,000 Lego theft operation across 70 Target stores nationwide, sometimes replacing valuable figurines with dried pasta before returning the toys.

Augustine bought Lego sets, opened the packages, removed figurines and other pieces, then returned them to Target for refunds, according to Irving police. In some cases, he allegedly replaced all the Lego components with pasta noodles. Target's loss prevention team discovered the scheme when they found an open box missing figurines during routine return checks.

"You read that correctly," police said in a Facebook post announcing the arrest. "We are talking about durum wheat semolina pasta, and what we are calling a pasta-tively terrible plan." The department said Augustine was responsible for "stacking up about $34,000 in losses" across the retailer's locations.

Police began investigating in December 2025 after Target contacted them about suspicious returns. Public Information Officer Ziggy Azarcon said investigators knew there was a secondary market for the stolen Lego pieces, which helped them track the fraud pattern across multiple states.

"But like most bad builds, this one didn't hold together," police said, describing how surveillance footage helped identify Augustine. The alleged financial losses stem from Target's inability to resell any of the tampered Lego sets, making each return a complete loss for the retailer.

The arrest comes amid a surge in high-value Lego thefts nationwide. In April, authorities seized approximately $1 million worth of stolen Legos and two freight trailers heading to Riverside County. A separate case in March involved a Vallejo, California man charged with stealing nearly $25,000 in Lego sets from Target stores through similar return scams.

Augustine faces grand theft charges for the alleged scheme. Police quipped about the case: "If your master plan involves swapping Legos for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente." It remains unclear whether Augustine has retained legal representation, and prosecutors have not announced whether additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.