A Fort Worth, Texas man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for armed robbery and the theft of various items, including more than 200 items from retailers. Lego sets, valued at over $30,000. Authorities said the LEGO thefts occurred in several states in 2025.
It's no secret that LEGO is one of the most recognized brands in popular culture. Some of the sets that LEGO has released include crossovers from popular brands Pokemon. Earlier in June, Lego and Pokemon 12 gave fans a glimpse at LEGO Pokemon Smart Play kits range from $14.99 to $119.99. These sets will be released on August 1 as a part PokemonOngoing 30th Anniversary Campaign. Due to the limited availability of some kits, LEGO products are a valuable item on the resale market. However, this has also made Lego kits a prime target for theft.
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Texas Lego thief sentenced to 45 years in prison
The Watauga Police Department convicted Winston Love, 28, of Fort Worth, of organized retail theft with a deadly weapon in a June 11 Facebook post after authorities linked him to a string of thefts in several states. Days after his sentencing on June 4, Love was sentenced to 45 years in prison for stealing more than 200 Lego kits. 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. Authorities said Love was part of a retail theft ring that operated in Texas and Oklahoma. Along with his 45-year prison sentence, Love was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
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Watauga police said Love committed 23 burglaries at Target stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including cities such as Louisville, Frisco, Mansfield and Arlington. However, authorities said Lego kits weren't the only items Love stole throughout his crime spree. Other items stolen from Target stores in the metroplex included PlayStation controllers, coffee makers and vacuum cleaners.
According to a Twitter post by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office, Love's case was the first jury trial under an updated version of Texas' organized retail theft law, which took effect on September 1, 2025. In short, the penalties for organized retail theft in Texas are harsher than ever. Along with the stolen goods, investigators found $5,000 in cash and various drugs when they executed a search warrant at Prem's home.
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This isn't the first time thieves have targeted Lego kits in 2026. In April, the Irvine Police Department said a suspect, 28-year-old Jerel Augustine, stole dozens of Lego sets from their boxes and replaced them with bags of dried pasta. The bizarre crime eventually led to an arrest that was captured on body-cam video. The footage led to various comments on social media that largely celebrated the thief's capture with various pasta-related words and wordplay.
Sources: Dexterto, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
