MINNEAPOLIS — A Danbury, Connecticut couple is facing charges in Minnesota for their alleged involvement in a large-scale shoplifting operation believed to have targeted upscale athletic wear retailer, Lululemon, resulting in an estimated theft of around $1 million in merchandise nationwide.
Jadion Anthony Richards, aged 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, were formally charged this month with a felony count of organized retail theft. They were released last week after posting bail amounts of $100,000 for Richards and $30,000 for Lawes-Richards. Both are scheduled to appear again in Ramsey County District Court located in St. Paul on December 16.
Investigations revealed that a Lululemon investigator had been tracking the couple prior to their confrontation with law enforcement on November 14 at a store in Roseville, a suburb of Minneapolis. The investigator alleged that Richards and Lawes-Richards were responsible for significant losses to the retailer over a broad geographic area. They reportedly engaged in shoplifting and made fraudulent returns, contributing to the retailer’s financial losses, according to the complaints.
During a search of their hotel room in Bloomington, police discovered suitcases containing over $50,000 worth of stolen Lululemon apparel, as detailed in the complaints. Their alleged criminal activities extended beyond Minnesota, with suspicions pointing to thefts in various states including Colorado, Utah, New York, and Connecticut. Locally, they are reported to have targeted Lululemon stores in Minneapolis as well as the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina, and Minnetonka.
The complaints further detail that Richards and Lawes-Richards operated as part of a larger group that would visit a city, specifically targeting Lululemon stores for two days before returning to the East Coast. There, they would exchange stolen items without receipts for new products, cashing in on credit card refunds for those items before moving on to repeat the cycle.
In some instances, the method of their theft involved Richards making small purchases in stores. After buying inexpensive items, he would collaborate with Lawes-Richards and another accomplice to remove security sensors from more expensive goods, attaching them to the items they had just purchased. Lawes-Richards and the other woman would then hide leggings under their clothing before exiting the store.
If the security alarms triggered as they left, Richards would present the purchased items to store employees, while the others would walk out unnoticed, misleading staff into thinking that only his purchased items had set off the alarms, according to the complaints.
Neither Richards’ nor Lawes-Richards’ legal representatives provided comments regarding the charges. The prosecution of the couple is being conducted under a state law implemented last year aimed specifically at tackling organized retail theft. This legislation was primarily authored by Senator Ron Latz of St. Louis Park, who pointed out that as many as 34 states have similar laws addressing organized retail crimes.
In response to the charges, Senator Latz expressed his satisfaction with the progress made, emphasizing that such thefts have detrimental effects on retailers, leading to lost economic activity, job losses, and risks to employee safety. He also noted that these crimes adversely affect consumers through increased prices and compromised products that may enter the resale market.
Additionally, two women from Minnesota were charged under this new law back in August for targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis, further underscoring the initiative’s reach and the ongoing battle against organized retail theft.