Suspected Lego thieves arrested, nearly 3,000 boxes recovered
LOS ANGELES - Two people suspected in a series of organized retail thefts of Lego toys from multiple Southland stores were taken into custody, following a roughly six-month investigation, police said Thursday.
Richard Siegel, 71, of Long Beach, was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of organized retail theft, while Blanca Gudino, 39, of Lawndale, was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of grand theft.
Siegel was released on his own recognizance, but Gudino was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail, according to jail records.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, detectives have been investigating a series of theft cases that began in December when Lego products were stolen from a store in the 1700 block of North Gaffey Street in San Pedro. During that heist, loss-prevention personnel at the store identified Gudino as the suspect.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Multiple Lego, figurine stores broken into across SoCal
Police said they observed Gudino allegedly stealing items from the Torrance and Lakewood locations of the same retail businesses on Tuesday. Gudino then allegedly took the Lego products to Siegel's home in Long Beach.
Detectives raided Siegel's home on Wednesday, seizing more than 2,800 boxes of Lego products, police said. Authorities said the products ranged in retail price from $20 to more than $1,000.
Police noted that while officers were still investigating the case at Siegel's home, "potential buyers of the toys arrived, lured by advertisements placed by Siegel on internet sales sites."
The LAPD did not identify the retailer that was targeted by the pair.
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that more than $100,000 in Lego products had been stolen from a half-dozen Bricks & Minifigs stores across Southern California in recent months. Bricks & Minifigs is a Lego reseller with more than 100 locations nationally, The Times reported.
According to The Times, a location in Riverside was burglarized April 3, along with another in Ontario on April 12, Whittier on May 3, Irvine on May 9 and the Costa Mesa and Fullerton locations on June 1. There was no immediate indication of a connection between those thefts and Siegel or Gudino.
The owner of the Whittier store told The Times the culprits who committed the burglaries were two men — one who broke into the stores and the other who acted as a getaway driver.
The Times reported that similar burglary series targeting Legos have also occurred in cities including Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Anyone with information regarding the Los Angeles-area organized retail thefts of Legos was urged to contact the LAPD Harbor Area detectives at 310-726-7900. Calls during non-business hours or weekends should be directed to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.