A couple from the East Coast admitted to stealing around $1 million in merchandise in a crime spree targeting Lululemon, hitting stores in Minnesota and other states.
Jadion Richards, 45, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 46, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of organized retail theft in Ramsey County District Court on Friday. In exchange, prosecutors will dismiss a second felony theft charge against the couple.
They will be sentenced on Jan. 30.
The Richards’ case is the first prosecuted in Ramsey County under a 2023 state law aiming to stop organized retail theft.
Authorities arrested the couple last year after months of thefts targeting the high-end women’s athletic wear retailer Lululemon. A retail crime investigator learned the couple stole 45 items worth around $5,000 from the Lululemon store in the Rosedale Center.
Police arrested them the next day at the Woodbury store on Nov. 14, 2024, and searched their Bloomington hotel room, finding a dozen suitcases with $50,000 worth of Lululemon gear with price stags still attached. Investigators say the Richards’ theft ring netted close to $1 million in merchandise.
Authorities say the pair stole from Lululemon stores in Minneapolis, Edina and Minnetonka. The pair was also accused of targeting stores in Colorado, Utah, Connecticut and New York.
More Minnesota authorities have cracked down on retail theft since the 2023 law passed, arresting dozens tied to organized crime rings this March.
