Duo sentenced in Lego scheme

TYLER – In a Smith County courtroom on Thursday, two members of a $400,000 Lego theft ring that targeted Walmart and Target stores in Texas and elsewhere entered guilty pleas. During court appearances in the 241st District Court, Semetric Danielle Baker, 36, and Shane Gentry, 28, both entered guilty pleas to participating in organized crime. Their accusations are related to a scheme that impacted stores in Florida and Oklahoma as well as Tyler, Longview, Gun Barrel City, and other Texas cities. Gentry was given a 10-year probationary period and a $250,000 restitution order, which included $107,000 to Target and $142,000 to Walmart.

Gentry was involved in the theft ring by selling stolen Lego products online, according to Smith County Assistant District Attorney Noah Coltman. Based on the evidence and multiple warning signs, the defense admitted that Gentry should have known the Lego products were stolen. Following Gentry’s plea, Baker received a sentence of one year in the Smith County Jail, which she had already completed. She was given credit for the time she completed.

Numerous other members of the theft ring have already entered guilty pleas and been sentenced. The 35-year-old Ladarion Anderson was given a 10-year probationary period and a restitution order totaling over $84,000, of which $71,000 went to Walmart and $12,000 to Target. According to court documents, Brian Fleming received a 28-year prison sentence. According to court records, as part of the plan, Fleming and Anderson would enter stores first, then one of their accomplices.