A Southern California man’s alleged “brick” scheme has landed him in jail after police say he carried out an unusual scam involving pasta-filled LEGO boxes. Police in Irvine announced Tuesday that they arrested 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine in connection with a crime spree of thefts at Target stores.
Authorities allege Augustine employed the scheme more than 70 times, stealing roughly $34,000 in goods nationwide, the New York Post reports. According to police, he would buy boxed LEGO sets, remove valuable minifigures and key pieces, then replace them with dried “durum wheat semolina pasta” before returning the boxes for refunds.
A man has been arrested and accused of buying $34,000 in Lego figurines, filling the boxes with pasta, and then returning them for a refund.https://t.co/7mlnNS8nb8
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 17, 2026
The Irvine Police Department released video on social media showing the takedown of what they dubbed a “LEGO crime spree,” along with details peppered with pasta-themed jokes. Describing it as a “pasta-tively terrible plan,” officers allege Augustine purchased the popular building brick sets from Target stores at least 70 times, removing valuable minifigures and components before returning the boxes. The surveillance footage shows him shopping for the sets, followed by body camera video capturing his arrest Tuesday.
Augustine can also be heard discussing the food stamps stolen items in the video. The video shows investigators finding bags of dried Goya-brand pasta that Augustine supposedly used to refill, and bags of stolen building bricks pieces, some from Star Wars themed sets.
Footage released by police shows Augustine purchasing the building brick sets, along with body camera video capturing the arrest. Images shared by investigators also display bags of Goya pasta believed to have been used in the swaps, along with recovered items, including figures from Star Wars sets.
In a social media post filled with pasta-themed wordplay, the department called the scheme a “bad build” that ultimately “didn’t hold together.” Officers added they “snapped into action” before making the arrest.
The suspicious pattern was flagged by Target, prompting detectives to launch a probe. Surveillance efforts eventually led authorities to identify Augustine as the alleged mastermind behind what they described as a “LEGO crime spree.”
Irvine ‘pasta bandit’ accused of swapping LEGO sets for noodles in $34K scheme A Southern California man’s alleged “brick” hustle has landed him behind bars after police say he pulled off a bizarre pasta-filled scam targeting LEGO sets. According to the … https://t.co/v1FI5oIylq pic.twitter.com/tkcGvxNEIX
— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) April 17, 2026
“One of the cases that occurred here in Orange County, they shared that they opened the box and instead of building bricks, they found bags of dry pasta,” Officer Ziggy Azarcon said, according to a CBS News report.
Authorities explained the dried pasta helped mimic the sound of building bricks when shaken. Investigators say Augustine obtained refunds at Target stores in Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Westminster, as well as at locations in other states. “These were definitely sets that were consistent with what he was purchasing and then returning,” Azarcon added. “These were Star Wars sets and Marvel sets, which have a very high value on the secondary market.”
According to Irvine police, Augustine is also connected to numerous similar cases spanning Texas, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Florida. The California LEGO accused thief was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, according to police.
