71-year-old man arrested after allegedly stealing more than 2,800 boxes of Legos

The Los Angeles Police Department recovered more than 2,800 boxes of stolen LEGO toys from the home of a 71-year-old man on Wednesday.

The department shared in a press release that Richard Siegel and Blanca Gudino, 39, allegedly stole the toys – each with a retail value of $20 to “well over” $1,000 – from stores in California.

According to police, while serving a search warrant at Siegel's Long Beach home on June 5, “potential buyers of the toys arrived, attracted by advertisements placed by Siegel on Internet shopping sites.”

The investigation into the two men began after a San Pedro retailer reported a series of theft incidents to officers in December 2023, and loss prevention staff identified Gudino as the suspect.

“On June 4, 2024, members of the Los Angeles Police Department observed Gudino stealing items from the same retailer in Torrance and Lakewood before providing Siegel with LEGO toys at his residence in Long Beach,” the department states in its communicated.

Siegel was charged with organized retail theft and Gudino was arrested and charged with grand theft.

According to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE, Siegel was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court on June 26. Gudino is currently being held on $20,000 bail.

Although police have not identified the retailer Siegel and Gudino allegedly targeted, The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week that more than $100,000 worth of LEGO products were stolen from six Bricks & Minifigs stores in Southern California.

The suspected thieves were described as “two men” who “worked as a team” to target LEGO resale stores between April and June.

“We're a specialist store for people trying to find Lego sets from their youth – the things we have can't be easily restocked. They don't steal big boxes. They're stealing minifigures, and these individual guys cost $500 to $600 apiece, so they're easily stolen and resold for a quick profit,” Katie Leuschner, owner of Bricks & Minifigs Whittier store, told the news outlet.

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It is unclear whether the two cases are related. PEOPLE has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.