IRVINE, CALIFORNIA — Jarrelle Augustine, a 28-year-old resident of Paramount, California, was arrested by the Irvine police department on April 14 in connection with an alleged nationwide scheme that involved swapping Lego pieces for pasta before returning the toy sets to Target stores. Augustine was charged with grand theft and booked into the Orange County jail, and has since been released.

Police accuse Augustine of buying Lego sets, opening the packages, removing the figurines, and later returning the sets for refunds. In some instances, Augustine removed all the Lego components and replaced them with pasta noodles. Target reported at least 70 thefts across the United States tied to Augustine, causing about $34,000 in losses.

Investigators began looking into the case in December 2025 after Target's loss prevention department noticed an opened Lego box missing figurines during a return inspection and notified the police, Irvine public information officer Ziggy Azarcon said. Officers later staked out various Target stores across Orange County and identified Augustine as a suspect. Azarcon said investigators determined Augustine was responsible for dozens of phony returns, and that the reported financial losses involve Target's inability to resell the returned Lego sets.

Customers who purchased returned Lego sets found pasta inside the boxes and complained to store employees. Evidence collected by police included an instruction book for the Star Wars Venator-Class Attack Cruiser, which retails for $80, and the box for a Marvel Avengers Tower Building Set, a 5,201-piece kit that retails for $500. Several bags of Goya brand elbow-shaped pasta, which sell for less than $2 a bag, were seen by police in front of the Lego box.

In a Facebook post announcing the arrest, the Irvine police department said, "We are talking about durum wheat semolina pasta, and what we are calling a pasta-tively terrible plan." The department also said, "If your master plan involves swapping Legos for linguine, we can promise your plan will be cooked al dente."

Prosecutors will review the 70 linked cases to determine whether they can file additional charges across the various jurisdictions where the thefts occurred.