The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Unit has arrested a Bradenton man, Mark Tilley, aged 55, in connection with a scheme that defrauded athletic apparel giant Lululemon of $200,000 over the past year. Tilley was taken into custody on Friday following a lengthy investigation into organized retail crime.
According to reports from WFLA, Tilley used various credit cards to place online orders on Lululemon’s website, often under different names. He directed these orders to multiple addresses within his apartment complex, Magnolia Estates, in Bradenton. Detectives noted that Tilley exploited the company’s fraud detection system by consistently using the same phone number, although many of his purchases linked back to an IP address associated with his email.
Tilley’s scheme involved keeping the items he ordered from Lululemon. He would quickly initiate a return process, sending back only empty boxes. Once the return was processed, he received e-gift cards as refunds. He effectively doubled his returns by taking the actual items meant for return to a physical Lululemon store for additional credit.
The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook that the multi-state investigation was thorough and complex but expressed satisfaction in bringing the case to a conclusion.