A Connecticut couple, Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, have been charged with organized retail theft in connection with an elaborate two-month theft spree at Lululemon stores across the country that is estimated to have netted about $1 million worth of product. The couple was arrested on Nov. 14 in Woodbury, Minnesota, after being stopped leaving a Lululemon store where the security alarm went off. The couple denied involvement in the theft, but officers found credit cards, debit cards, and an access card to a Marriott hotel room on them. A search of their hotel room uncovered 12 suitcases filled with stolen Lululemon clothing with tags attached worth over $50,000.
The Lululemon investigator claims that the couple used various tactics during their thefts, including distracting store associates while stuffing products in their clothes and strategically exiting stores with stolen items. Their alleged tactics involved one person holding a cheap item they had purchased to show a receipt for while the other carried stolen products. The couple is accused in multiple theft incidents in Colorado and Utah, and their crimes may have spanned across several other states including New York and Connecticut. The couple is currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in Minnesota and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 16. Attorneys representing Richards and Lawes-Richards have not responded to requests for comment.
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