A Connecticut couple arrested for stealing $1 million from Lululemon

MINNESOTA — A Connecticut couple arrested in Minnesota is linked to a nationally organized theft of $1 million in Lululemon merchandise, according to prosecutors.

Jadion Richards and Akwele Lawes-Richards were initially arrested on suspicion of shoplifting from Lululemon at Rosedale Center after a store alarm went off. Jadion Richards, who is Black, claimed store employees deliberately caused the action and told police he was being racially profiled, court records show.

Police later realized that Richards, Lawes-Richards and a third person had stolen nearly $5,000 worth of merchandise from the store, according to the criminal complaint.

A Lululemon investigator told police that the couple stole $1 million worth of merchandise from Lululemon stores in several states and then filed fraudulent reports at various Lululemon locations.

When investigators searched the couple’s hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota, they found twelve suitcases containing $50,000 worth of Lululemon merchandise, with the tags still attached.

The Lululemon researcher said the Richards are behind thefts elsewhere in Minnesota, Utah and Colorado, where they would distract employees, secretly remove security sensors or hide items under their shirts and jackets “without regard to size, price or color,” the researcher said. to the criminal complaint. They returned the stolen goods to stores in New York and Connecticut for refunds on their credit cards, in what prosecutors described as “a never-ending cycle.”

“Because of the outstanding work of Roseville Police Department detectives – including their new Retail Crime Unit – and other law enforcement agencies, these individuals accused of this large-scale retail theft operation have been apprehended. We will do everything in our power to detain them. These defendants are responsible and continue to work with our law enforcement partners and retailers to put an end to shoplifting in our community,” said a spokesperson for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.

The court ordered Lawes-Richards bail at $30,000 with conditional release, including weekly check-ins, as she has ties to Minnesota. For Richards, the court ordered $100,000 bail with conditional release and weekly check-ins

This is the first case in Ramsey County challenging a recent Minnesota law aimed at cracking down on organized retail theft with stiffer penalties.

———-

* More Connecticut news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for the latest news

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or story idea we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If you attach a video or photo, terms of use apply.