Richard Siegel, 71, was arrested on suspicion of organized retail theft, while Blanca Gudino, 39, was suspected of grand theft.
LOS ANGELES (KABC)– Two people were arrested this week in connection with a retail theft ring that allegedly stole thousands of LEGO toys from several Southern California retailers.
Blanca Gudino, 39, of Lawndale, and Richard Siegel, 71, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at Siegel’s Long Beach home.
Police said detectives became aware of a series of thefts at a retailer on North Gaffey Street in San Pedro, where loss prevention staff identified Gudino as the suspect. On Tuesday, she was seen stealing items from the same retailer in Torrance and Lakewood before dropping them off at Siegel’s home, according to police.
During the search warrant, LAPD Harbor Area detectives recovered more than 2,800 boxes of LEGO toys.
Richard Siegel, 71, was arrested on suspicion of organized retail theft, while Blanca Gudino, 39, was suspected of grand theft.
“The retail value of the items seized ranged from $20.00 to well over $1,000,” police said in a news release. Police have not identified the retailer targeted by the two men.
Police said that during Wednesday’s arrest, potential buyers who had seen advertisements for the toys online stopped by their homes. Siegel was arrested for organized retail theft while Gudino was arrested for grand theft.
Thieves target SoCal LEGO stores
Thousands of dollars worth of merchandise was stolen from several different Bricks & Minifigs, specializing in LEGO products.
Eyewitness News obtained surveillance videos of several of the incidents involving the toy retailer. The thief is said to have started his crime spree in April in a Bricks & Minifigs in Ontario and brought another person.
The video shows the two suspects grabbing different products and putting them in boxes. One of them takes the products from the shelves while the other is behind the counter and takes the items from the boxes.
The thief also appeared to target a store in Riverside and another in Whittier.
The thief allegedly started his crime spree in April at a Bricks & Minifigs store in Ontario and brought another person with him.
It is clear whether Siegel or Gudino has anything to do with these thefts.
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