A Fort Worth, Texas, man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted of armed robbery and the theft of various merchandise from retailers, including more than 200 LEGO kits valued at over $30,000. Authorities said LEGO thefts occurred in 2025 in multiple states.
It's no secret that LEGO is one of the most recognizable brands in popular culture. Some of the sets that LEGO releases include crossovers with popular brands such as Pokemon. Earlier in June, LEGO a Pokemon gave fans a glimpse of 12 LEGOs Pokemon Smart Play kits ranging from $14.99 to $119.99. These sets will be released on August 1st as part of Pokemonongoing 30th anniversary campaign. Due to the limited availability of some sets, LEGO products are a valuable commodity on the resale market. However, this has made LEGO sets a prime target for theft.
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Texas LEGO Thief Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison
The Watauga Police Department said in a June 11 Facebook post that 28-year-old Winston Love of Fort Worth was convicted of organized retail theft with a deadly weapon after authorities linked him to a series of thefts in several states. Days after her sentencing on June 4, Love was sentenced to 45 years in prison for stealing more than 200 LEGO sets. Love was arrested in October 2025 after stealing more than $1,200 worth of LEGO sets from a Target retail store in Watauga, a Tarrant County suburb north of Fort Worth. Love fled the scene and was arrested after a brief standoff at his home. Officials said Love was part of a retail theft ring operating in Texas and Oklahoma. Along with the 45-year prison sentence, Love was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover and scrape off as little of the foil as possible.
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Identify the cover and scrape off as little of the foil as possible.
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Watauga police said Love committed 23 thefts at Target stores across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including cities such as Lewisville, Frisco, Mansfield and Arlington. But authorities said the LEGO sets weren't the only items Love stole during his crime spree across the area. Other items stolen from Target stores throughout the Metroplex included PlayStation controllers, coffee makers and vacuum cleaners.
According to a Twitter post by the Tarrant County Criminal District Office, Love's case was the first jury trial under the updated version of Texas' Organized Retail Theft statute, which went into effect on September 1, 2025. In short, the penalties for committing organized retail theft in Texas are much more severe than before. Along with the stolen goods, investigators found more than $5,000 in cash and various narcotics while searching Love's home.
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Drag your weapons to fill the grid
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This isn't the first time LEGO sets have been targeted by thieves in 2026. In April, the Irvine Police Department said the suspect, 28-year-old Jarrelle Augustine, stole dozens of LEGO sets from their boxes and replaced them with bags of dry pasta. The bizarre crime eventually led to an arrest that was captured on dash cam video. The footage led to various comments on social media, which largely celebrated the capture of the thief with various puns and puns related to pasta.
Sources: Dexerto, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
