Current:Home > reviews2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis -Capitatum
2 women charged in Lululemon shoplifting scheme in Minneapolis
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-05 23:58:37
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two Minnesota women are charged with organizing thefts of several thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise from a Lululemon store in Minneapolis and then funneling the stolen goods through a suburban nail salon.
My Hoang Thi Van, 56, and Kathy Nguyen, 24, are each charged with one felony count of organized retail theft. Minneapolis police tracked down the roommates from suburban Crystal after getting tipped by corporate investigators for the high-end athletic retailer, the Star Tribune reported.
The criminal complaints filed Thursday say Lululemon investigators found high shoplifting losses at their store in downtown Minneapolis, then identified a suspect through surveillance videos and interviews with store employees. That suspect, who has not been charged, would steal bags off a merchandise rack, fill them with goods and leave without paying.
Investigators placed GPS tracking tags in several bags, and when the individual stole them, tracked her movements. The woman would take the stolen merchandise to Diamond Nails Salon in Crystal, then leave the salon without the bags but holding a “large sum of money in her hand,” the complaint alleged.
When police arrested the shoplifter, she told them she had been directed to steal the clothes by a woman who worked at the salon, who she identified as Van. She said Van would pay her $400 for the clothes and remove the theft sensors, then place the stolen merchandise in a plastic bag and resell it. She estimated she had made at least 100 transactions with Van.
Police later found “numerous white plastic bags of stolen Lululemon merchandise” throughout the defendants’ home, along with anti-theft tags that had been removed, the complaint alleged.
The total value of merchandise stolen from the store was still being tallied, but the complaint said it was “well in excess of $5,000.”
Nguyen’s attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. Court records did not list an attorney for Van, and she did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
veryGood! (63)
Related
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Hoop dreams of a Senegalese b-baller come true at Special Olympics
- U.S., European heat waves 'virtually impossible' without climate change, new study finds
- Keep Up With Khloé Kardashian's Style and Shop 70% Off Good American Deals This Memorial Day Weekend
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Kids housed in casino hotels? It's a workaround as U.S. sees decline in foster homes
- Colorado Settlement to Pay Solar Owners Higher Rates for Peak Power
- Bud Light releases new ad following Dylan Mulvaney controversy. Here's a look.
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Where Mama June Shannon Stands With Her Daughters After Family Tension
Ranking
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Billie Eilish Fires Back at Critics Calling Her a Sellout for Her Evolving Style
- Canada’s Struggling to Build Oil Pipelines, and That’s Starting to Hurt the Industry
- He was diagnosed with ALS. Then they changed the face of medical advocacy
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Swimmers should get ready for another summer short on lifeguards
- In Corporate March to Clean Energy, Utilities Not Required
- Half the World’s Sandy Beaches May Disappear by Century’s End, Climate Study Says
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Wildfire smoke is blanketing much of the U.S. Here's how to protect yourself
Government Think Tank Pushes Canada to Think Beyond Its Oil Dependence
New Study Projects Severe Water Shortages in the Colorado River Basin
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Kim Kardashian Reveals the Meaningful Present She Gives Her 4 Kids Each Year on Their Birthdays
Paul McCartney says there was confusion over Beatles' AI song
Honeybee deaths rose last year. Here's why farmers would go bust without bees