Couple accused store workers of racial profiling as they stole $1 million worth of Lululemon merch, cops say
Couple allegedly used different tactics to distract workers as they stole items from stores around the country
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A Connecticut couple has been accused of stealing $1m worth of merchandise from Lululemon stores around the US.
Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were accused of stealing products from stores in Utah, Colorado, New York and Connecticut starting in September. They were arrested on November 14 in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota and charged with organized retail theft.
The couple were stopped after exiting one of the retailer’s stores in Minnesota when a detector went off. Richards accused store employees of racially profiling him. Workers allowed the couple to leave after that encounter. But they were later arrested in a Minneapolis suburb.
A Lululemon investigator claimed the couple stole from several different locations the day before and stole at least 45 items valued at $5,000, according to USA Today.
Several credit and debit cards were found on the couple in addition to a card to a Marriot hotel room. In the room, investigators found 12 suitcases, three of which were filled with Lululemon clothing worth approximately $50,000.
The pair have also been accused of a total of eight thefts in Colorado between October 29 and 30 and seven thefts in Utah on November 6 and 7, the outlet reported.
The investigator determined that throughout the couple’s shoplifting sprees, they managed to steal $1m in products. The investigator did not reveal how he came to the high number.
The couple used tactics to distract retail workers as they shoplifted from the stores, police say. One of them involved one person distracting employees while the other tried to hide the stolen clothes on their bodies. Another involved them exiting the store at the same time. One person would have a cheap product and the other would be carrying more expensive products that would trigger the sensors. Once the alarm was triggered, the person with the cheap item would stay behind as the person with the expensive products walked away.
The couple are being held at the Ramsey County Jail in Minnesota, They’re due to appear in court on December 16.
The Independent could not immediately reach an attorney for the couple.