In Arlington, three people have been accused of stealing and reselling $36,000 worth of minifigures from Lego sets, ARLNow reported.
The Arlington Police Department shared in a social media post that officers responded to a May 19 larceny report. The suspect allegedly purchased Lego merchandise, then returned it with items missing or damaged so that it could not be resold.
After being alerted that similar incidents had been occurring across the county, ACPD kicked off an investigation with neighboring jurisdictions. They discovered at least 29 related incidents.
The suspects would purchase Lego sets relating to fandoms like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. They would remove collectible minifigures, then allegedly sell those minifigures and return the sets to the store. The scheme earned them more than $36,000 in one year.
In one instance, suspects returned two Lego sets with a combined value of $640 to a Target in Ballston. After they were returned, employees found that they had been opened, minifigures were removed, and then the packaging was resealed.
Alvaro Adrian Vargas Serrano, 27, of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with larceny under false pretenses (two counts), racketeering, and conspiracy to commit larceny. Maria Asuncion Serrano Herbas, 49, of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit larceny. Mauro Vargas Serrano, 25, of Falls Church, was arrested and charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit larceny, and larceny under false pretenses.
The three suspects were arrested June 12 and are scheduled to appear in court on June 19.
Feature image courtesy Arlington Police Department/Facebook
