LEGO worker arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise

An employee at the LEGO Store in the Glendale Galleria was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly stealing toys over the course of 18 months and selling them to a man, who was later booked on suspicion of turning a profit by selling the products online, police said.

Lanisa Williams, 29, admitted to police that she had stolen boxes of LEGO merchandise, some valued at more than $400, during the past year and a half, said Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

The store had recently hired an outside loss-prevention firm to investigate why so many items were missing and eventually Williams was named as a suspect before handing over the case to local authorities, she said.

Williams told police that she sold all of the items she allegedly stole to Los Angeles resident Kai Ho Chan, 29, who’s suspected of selling the LEGO sets on websites such as eBay and Craigslist, Lightfoot said.

A warrant search of Chan’s home turned up 300 boxes of merchandise with a total value of $50,000, she said.

Williams was arrested on suspicion ofburglary, grand theft and embezzlement. She was released on $20,000 bail.

Chan was booked on suspicion of receiving stolen property and was also released on $20,000 bail.

The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, Lightfoot said.

An investigation into how much Williams allegedly stole overall is ongoing, she said.