Conn. Couple Accused of Stealing $1 Million from Lululemon Stores in 5 States

A couple from Connecticut has been accused of stealing $1 million worth of Lululemon products nationwide.

Jadion Richards and Akwele Lawes-Richards were arrested in Woodbury, Minn., and each charged with one felony count of organized retail theft, having previously engaged in patterned retail theft and committing/directing others to commit said crimes on Nov. 14, according to Minnesota court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

A day prior, Jadion and a man who has yet to be identified, allegedly stole $5,000 worth of products at a Lululemon store in Roseville, Minn., the documents state.

They were then booked into the Ramsey County Jail that day, online records show, and police later obtained a search warrant for their hotel room in Bloomington, Minn., where they found $50,000 worth of Lululemon products in suitcases, per the court documents.

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The couple has allegedly been stealing from the athleisure brand since September, taking up to $1 million in products, the court documents allege.

Along with the reported burglaries in Minn., Richards and Lawes-Richards allegedly stole from Lululemon stores in their home state, New York, Colorado and Utah, according to the court documents.

The couple allegedly used “specific organized retail crime tactics such as blocking and distraction of associates to commit large thefts,” per the documents, including holding up large jackets to block store associates and customers from seeing them conceal items and remove security sensors.

Jadion would usually enter the store first in their series of thefts and purchase one or two small items. He would then find Akwele on the sales floor and remove a security sensor from an item separate from the one they took, the documents allege.

Akwele and an unidentified woman next would work “together to select and conceal items without any regard to size, price, or color,” and the trio would then leave the store together, with the women leading, according to the documents.

In many cases, when security alarms would go off from Jadion’s item, he would turn around and surrender his bag with his items, while the woman would continue walking away from the store with their stolen items.

The group, the documents state, also allegedly “conducted unverified exchanges at various stores” by exchanging items without a receipt for new items. They would continue this cycle for weeks throughout different states, amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Tristen Shields, Lululemon’s vice president of asset protection, said that their chain of retail stores is focused on keeping their stores a “safe and secure environment” for staff and customers.

“This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable,” Shields said in a statement.

“We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industry-wide issue,” he added.

Jadion was released on $100,000 bail on Nov. 21. Akwele, meanwhile, was released on Nov. 19 on $30,000 bail.

They are both next scheduled to appear in Ramsey County Court on Dec. 16. It is unclear if they have legal representation to comment on their behalf.