Man bought $34K worth of Lego sets, took out the pieces and returned the boxes filled with pasta, police say

IRVINE, Calif. (Gray News) — Police in California said they uncovered an unusual scam involving Legos and dried pasta.

Irvine police said a man bought pricey Lego sets from Target stores nationwide on at least 70 separate occasions, totaling nearly $34,000.

Police said the man would then remove the Lego pieces from the box, fill the box with dried pasta, and return it to the store for a refund.

The suspect was caught when officers set up surveillance at a Target store.

Police identified the suspect as Jarrelle Augustine, 28. He was arrested for grand theft and booked at the Orange County Jail.

“If your master plan involves swapping LEGOs for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente,” police wrote on Facebook.