Ask any parent or hobbyist who loves LEGOs and they'll tell you that LEGO sets aren't cheap. Some of the smaller kits can run $10, but bigger sets — like the Titanic LEGO set — can run hundreds of dollars. A man in California realized this and pulled off a scam to rip off stores across the country.
The man, identified as Jarrelle Augustine, would allegedly buy the sets, remove the bricks, and then return the boxes filled with dried pasta.
Police say a 28-year-old California man allegedly bought expensive LEGO sets, kept the pieces, and returned the boxes filled with dry pasta, a scheme they say he repeated around 70 times nationwide before being caught. pic.twitter.com/y10aTcvnSo
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 19, 2026
Authorities say the scam cost more than $34,000.
Jarrelle Augustine, 28, of Paramount, is accused of buying Lego sets from Target, removing valuable minifigures and pieces, then returning the boxes after filling them with dried pasta, Irvine police said.
Investigators linked him to roughly 70 thefts nationwide totaling about $34,000 in losses.
The Irving Police Department said detectives used surveillance to identify Augustine as the suspect. He was taken into custody and booked into the Orange County Jail on grand theft charges.
Police shared details of the case in a social media post and added a humorous warning about the unusual method.
"If your master plan involves swapping LEGOs for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente," Irvine police said in a Facebook post.
Video released by police appears to show the suspect taking Lego sets from a store shelf and walking out.
It's crazy the lengths to which criminals will go.
Pasta scheme is funny until you remember retailers just bake this crap into prices for everyone else. Petty theft always ends with honest people paying the tab.
— rowdyamerican (@rowdyamerican69) April 19, 2026
Yes, it does. We pay more because of crime.
That's brilliant... It's wrong of course. but imagine if this person could use his mind to for good and not evil. People that think like this are rare. They are problem solvers that have no outlet to use their gift... I mean he's building Big a** lego sets... If you mess up…
— AMPS (@ampstreamz) April 19, 2026
This writer worked for law enforcement right out of college and noticed that the gangs were often highly organized and run like businesses. Imagine if that was a legitimate business and not a criminal enterprize.
In raw cost, the pasta probably cost more to produce. https://t.co/JyRqwvsR1P
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) April 19, 2026
We'll take the Chef's word on this.
Imagine some kid’s birthday and he opens a Lego millennium falcon full of ziti. https://t.co/MFgqviwO4I
— Warren (@swd2) April 19, 2026
Then imagine being the person who has to return the pasta to the store, hoping they believe you.