You ever open a Lego set and something just feels... OFF? Turns out — that feeling might be JUSTIFIED. Because somewhere out there, people have been opening Star Wars Lego sets and finding PASTA instead of pieces. Not a glitch. Not a factory error. A SCHEME. A deliberate, patient, BEAUTIFUL-in-its-audacity scheme. This is MORNINGS IN THE LAB. I'm Keith, he's Jon. Show 3029. Monday, April 20th, 2026. Today we are talking about a man who allegedly turned raw penne into a $34,000 side hustle. Seventy times. At Target stores NATIONWIDE. Let's GET INTO IT.
Here's why this story matters — and it's not just because it's HILARIOUS. Jarrelle Augustine, 28, Paramount, California. Charged with grand theft. He'd buy premium Lego sets — Star Wars, Marvel — take them home, remove the pieces and minifigures, then replace everything with RAW PASTA weighed to match the original kit weight. Reseal. Return to Target. Full refund. Repeat. SEVENTY TIMES. $34,000 total. Irvine Police said the operation was — quote — 'off the charts.' The man used PASTA to fool one of the biggest retailers in America. Over and over.
Here are FIVE conversation starters from this story: ONE — At what point does a crime become so creative that it's kind of impressive? SEVENTY returns. Nobody flagged it. What does that say about retail oversight? TWO — The weight-matching detail. He wasn't just swapping pieces. He was engineering the deception to pass a physical inspection. What level of patience and planning does THAT take? THREE — A Star Wars Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser — $79.99 — was found in police evidence. So he kept ONE. Was that his favorite? His trophy? His mistake? FOUR — Target has not responded to comment requests. If you're a retailer and this happened at your stores SEVENTY times, what do you even say? FIVE — The pasta. Why pasta? Was it convenience? Weight consistency? Or did this man just LOVE pasta and thought — two birds, one stone?
Let's zoom in on the DETAILS because the details are EVERYTHING here. Processed at Orange County Jail — since released. Bust came from Irvine PD. But the scheme wasn't LOCAL. Seventy incidents. NATIONWIDE. Target stores across multiple states took back pasta-filled boxes, processed the refunds, and didn't flag it. The product selection was NOT random. Star Wars Lego. Marvel Lego. COLLECTOR sets. The Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser — $79.99 — was found in police evidence. He kept that one. Minifigures from premium sets resell on the secondary market for SERIOUS money. So he wasn't just collecting refunds — he was extracting rare pieces and selling them to collectors. A whole ECOSYSTEM of deception. And Target didn't catch it for SEVENTY rounds.
Practical takeaways — beyond 'don't commit retail fraud.' ONE — Buying a premium Lego set? Check the SEAL in-store. If a box has been returned, ask for an unopened unit. TWO — For collectors: minifigures trade like cards. Know your source and verify what you're getting. THREE — For businesses: your return policies are being GAMED by people with SYSTEMS. The weight-matching move should terrify every loss prevention team in America. FOUR — discipline applied consistently produces results. The man ran a 70-rep program and hit his goal. Misguided. Illegal. But methodical. Channel that energy into your ACTUAL life and you'd be unstoppable.
Here's your reflection. This man showed up seventy times — with a system, with precision, executing his plan. Now he's facing felony charges. But sit with this: what if YOU applied that same focus to something POSITIVE? Seventy workouts. Seventy meals prepped. Seventy mornings where you showed up for YOURSELF. What does that version of your life look like? The Lego Bandit had the discipline. He just aimed it at the wrong target. Pun absolutely INTENDED.
Alright — we NEED to hear from you on this one. Drop into the comments RIGHT NOW. We want to know: What is the most creative — or the most ABSURD — thing you've ever seen someone do to make money? Legal or otherwise — we don't judge, we're just entertained. And if you've EVER opened a Lego set and felt like something was off — we ESPECIALLY want to hear that story. Also — what do you think happens to the minifigures? Are they in a collection somewhere? On eBay? We need ANSWERS. Drop your thoughts below. Share this one with someone who loves Lego — or someone who needs a reminder that the pasta aisle is NOT a business strategy. And if this show brings you value every single morning — SUBSCRIBE. Ring that bell. We show up for you EVERY DAY and we'd love it if you showed up for us too.
Look — we started today with pasta and ended with PURPOSE. That's what we DO here. Because every story — even the most ridiculous, most unhinged, most what-in-the-world story — has something to teach us. Today's lesson: systems work. Consistency works. Showing up — day after day, rep after rep — WORKS. The question is never whether the method works. The question is: what are you BUILDING? Build something real. Build something that lasts. Build something that DOESN'T end in a felony charge and a bag of uncooked penne. You've got TODAY. Make it count. We'll be back tomorrow with another story, another insight, another reason to GET UP and GET AFTER IT. This has been MORNINGS IN THE LAB. I'm Keith. He's Jon. Stay sharp. Stay accountable. BE A PRO AT LIFE.
BAPL. Be a pro at life. That is the standard we hold ourselves to on this LIVE MORNING SHOW every single day. We are your DAILY ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER — showing up in your feed, in your ears, in your morning routine. Because accountability isn't just about what you do in the gym. It's about how you move through the world. Your fitness, your mindset, your healthy lifestyle, your peak performance across EVERY area of life. Longevity isn't just physical. It's mental. It's behavioral. It's the HABITS you build when nobody's watching. That's self-improvement that STICKS. And that's what this COMMUNITY is all about. Every morning. Every story. Every rep. MORNINGS IN THE LAB. Let's GO.