Lululemon worker ‘could not stop’ defrauding company, stole $18,000, Florida sheriff says

A Lululemon store employee defrauded the company out of nearly $18,000 in a scheme that went undetected for months — until Jan. 25, a Florida sheriff’s office said.

He told deputies he knew it was “wrong,” but he “could not stop,” according to court documents.

The 21-year-old Mulberry resident is charged with grand theft and a scheme to defraud, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 26 news release.

McClatchy News contacted his defense attorney, Zachary J. Cantor, for comment on Jan. 29 and didn’t receive an immediate response.

The employee is accused of processing 65 returns, all of which were fraudulent, at a Lululemon store at Waterside Shops in North Naples from June 2023 to Jan. 25, according to the sheriff’s office.

He then returned the money on store gift cards he had stolen, the sheriff’s office said. Afterward, he used these gift cards to buy Lululemon merchandise online, according to authorities.

Ultimately, the man returned the Lululemon products he bought, including some shipped to his home, at the North Naples store — resulting in $17,993.70 in returned funds going to his debit cards, the sheriff’s office said.

A company asset protection manager reported the fraudulent transactions to the sheriff’s office on Jan. 25 and the employee was arrested that day, according to his booking sheet.

He told deputies he stole from the company because “he was away from home and needed money to pay bills,” his booking sheet says.

On Jan. 26, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, court records show.

“Retail theft not only affects the businesses that are victimized but the community also pays a price for these types of crimes,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement. “Money lost through fraud is often passed on to the consumer.”

McClatchy News contacted Lululemon for comment on Jan. 29 and didn’t receive an immediate response.

Mulberry is about 35 miles east of Tampa.

This story was originally published January 29, 2024 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Lululemon worker ‘could not stop’ defrauding company, stole $18,000, Florida sheriff says."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.