| 19 March |
Man accused of multiple Lego thefts |
BOCA RATON, Fla. (UPI) – A Boca Raton, Fla., man has been accused of stealing several thousand dollars worth of Lego toys and selling the items on eBay.
The Palm Beach County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office alleges Anthony Ricca, 37, was videotaped shoplifting Lego Star Wars toys from a Target store Wednesday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Target Loss Prevention Manager Stuart Allison told deputies a security camera recorded Ricca purchasing some of the toys, taking them out to his car and then returning to the store and taking more of the toys to his car without paying for them, carrying his receipt from the original purchase in case he was confronted.
Allison said an analysis of security recordings at the store and other locations in the county turned up footage of Ricca shoplifting more than $1,500 worth of Lego products during 12 separate incidents. Detectives said they uncovered further incidents in neighboring counties.
Ricca has netted at least $42,000 from selling Lego products on eBay, authorities said. A police report said Ricca told investigators he stole an estimated $17,000 to $18,000 worth of the toys from Target, Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us stores. He has been charged with grand theft over $10,000, organizing a scheme to defraud, and dealing in stolen property totaling over $5,000 by use of the Internet.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
