TYLER, Texas — Two Lancaster men were recently arrested for their roles in a Lego theft ring that totaled $400,000 that impacted Walmart and Target stores across the country.
Brian Fleming and Ladarion Anderson, both 33, are charged with engaging in organized crime and theft over $300,000. Fleming is in the Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $1.1 million, while Anderson is in the Tarrant County Corrections Center on bonds totaling $1,141,000.
An arrest affidavit states the investigation began two years ago in October 2022 when another suspect was found with 19 Cricut machines, which are used for electrical cutting, in the back of a vehicle. The machines appeared to be brand new and not bagged. The man could not give a credible story as to why the machines were in his car and where they came from.
After getting from Walmart and Target investigators, the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper learned the machines were stolen. A search of two cell phones found the man who had the Circuit machines was selling them at a low price to someone, who was also selling "highly stolen items" on Amazon, eBay and other online selling platforms. An Amazon investigator said the man who selling items gave invoices for Legos and other items from Fleming, the affidavit said.
The document says Fleming and Anderson would go into a Walmart and go down an aisle with Legos before purchasing other items, which would usually be under $1, using their credit or debit cards. After the duo left, some of their co-conspirators would go in the store, walk down the Lego aisle and pick up the same exact items.
Then, these people would walk past the checkout counter without trying to buy the items. If employees stopped them, they would show a receipt that was altered. The receipt that Anderson and Fleming had gotten would have been altered to have the items renamed as Legos and the prices changed to be the cost of Legos, the affidavit said.
Anderson and Fleming were seen in the stores together in the stores. Further investigation found that Fleming, Anderson and the co-conspirators were involved in the theft of about $200,000 at Walmart locations, and there was a combined total of over $400,000 at Walmart and Target, according to the document.
The scheme impacted stores in Tyler, Longview, Gun Barrel City and other Texas cities. The operation also affected stores in Florida and Oklahoma, the document read.
Anderson is also charged with four other property theft charges (two out of Collin County, another out of Ennis and one out of McClennan County), according to jail records.
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