MINNEAPOLIS — A couple from Connecticut is facing charges in Minnesota as part of an alleged shoplifting operation that has reportedly stolen approximately $1 million in merchandise from the high-end athletic apparel brand Lululemon across the United States.
Jadion Anthony Richards, aged 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, aged 45, both residents of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with a felony count of organized retail theft. They were released last week after securing bail—$100,000 for Richards and $30,000 for Lawes-Richards, as per court documents. They are scheduled to appear in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on December 16.
The criminal complaints reveal that a loss prevention investigator for Lululemon had been monitoring the couple prior to a police encounter on November 14 at a retail location in Roseville, a suburb of Minneapolis. The investigator informed law enforcement that the couple had allegedly caused substantial financial losses nationwide. According to the complaints, their scheme involved shoplifting products and then returning these stolen goods fraudulently.
During a search of the couple’s hotel room in Bloomington, police discovered suitcases filled with over $50,000 worth of Lululemon merchandise. The complaints further indicate that the couple is linked to theft incidents in Lululemon stores located in Colorado, Utah, New York, and Connecticut. Within Minnesota alone, they are also accused of thefts from stores in Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs of Woodbury, Edina, and Minnetonka.
The investigator described a typical modus operandi for the couple, noting that they would travel to a new city, shoplift from Lululemon for two days, return to the East Coast, exchange the stolen items for new products without receipts, and then proceed to return the new items for credit card refunds before continuing their criminal activities elsewhere.
In some instances, Richards supposedly would enter the store first and purchase a couple of inexpensive items. He would then collaborate with Lawes-Richards to remove the security device from stolen merchandise, attaching it to one of the items he had bought. The women involved would then hide leggings beneath their clothing before all three attempted to exit the store together. When security alarms were triggered, Richards would present his purchased items to the store employees, while the women would walk out with the concealed items, misleading the staff into believing the alarm was a result of his purchases.
Richards’ attorney has chosen not to provide comments, while Lawes-Richards’ public defender did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Tristen Shields, Lululemon’s vice president of asset protection, expressed gratitude for the cooperation with law enforcement and highlighted the company’s ongoing investments in technology and training to combat retail theft. “We maintain our commitment to addressing and preventing this widespread issue within the industry,” Shields stated.
The couple is being prosecuted under a recently enacted state law aimed at curbing organized retail theft, which has already been adopted by 34 states. Senator Ron Latz from St. Louis Park, who was instrumental in crafting the legislation, commented on the success of this approach in dismantling criminal networks, noting its adverse effects on retailers, employees, and consumers.
In related news, two women from Minnesota were charged under the same new law in August for reportedly targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis.
