California man charged after Lego larceny worth $25,000

Getty Images

You know the old saying: Yellow plastic is worth its weight in gold.

OK, so maybe that's not a thing. But it might have been for a Vallejo, Calif., man who authorities allege stole thousands of dollars in Lego merchandise from Target stores.

Three things to know:

1. Michael Ivory Fletcher, 32, was charged by the Contra Costa District Attorney with multiple counts of second-degree burglary and grand theft after he was accused of stealing nearly $25,000 worth of Lego merchandise from Target stores in San Ramon and Walnut Creek between August 2024 and February 2025. The Contra Costa Public Defenders office, which is representing Fletcher, did not immediately return requests for comment.
   
2. The Lego heists happened in a total of six California counties, where authorities say Fletcher loaded up his shopping cart with the expensive building toys, disappeared into the parking lot "in a matter of minutes" and drove away, according to the DA's office.
   
3. Lego larceny is big business in California. In June, NPR's Adrian Florido reported that Lego thefts had become more frequent in the Los Angeles area, with thieves targeting a specific kind of Lego — the minifig.

Listen to NPR's Short Wave podcast for more discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines.

Why the Lego hype?

Well, it turns out that the iconic bricks and figurines can have a return value that rivals traditional investments, including gold.

That's according to one study from 2021, in which researchers from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow found that select unopened Lego sets on the resale market saw an average annual return of 11%.

In part, that's because rare special edition releases, like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, and kits produced for a limited time can skyrocket in value on the secondary market.

NPR's Jason Fuller and Courtney Dorning gave the full economic profile on the plastic that could build out your nest egg. (Or maybe just your toy box.)

Dive deeper with NPR:

• Read more on another kind of Lego crime altogether — counterfeit kits.
  
• Want to understand the impact of tech on your body and how to live better with your devices? Subscribe to the Body Electric newsletter.