BRADENTON, FL — A Bradenton realtor faces charges after stealing more than $200,000 from Lululemon in a return-fraud scheme, authorities said.
Mark Tilley, 55, was charged with grand theft over $100,000, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was investigated by the SCSO Economic Crimes Unit. In this multistate investigation, detectives found Tilley had defrauded the company of $200,000 over the past year, the agency said. “This type of crime causes retail prices to increase, which sooner or later fall on the consumer.”
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Tilley made online orders from the company using many credit cards in several names, including his own, dating back to May 22, 2022, his probable cause affidavit said. He made similar online orders using a gift card. He used different names and email addresses for each order, though they all listed the same phone number.
“These are tactics used to circumvent … (the company’s) fraud detection system,” the affidavit said.
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After making the purchase, he had the items shipped to several addresses within the Magnolia Estates apartment complex in Bradenton, where Tilley lives, the sheriff’s office said. When they were set to be delivered, he would update the delivery address and have the packages sent to the community clubhouse/leasing office, where he would pick them up.
He would then fast-track returns, receiving an e-gift card after scanning the return parcels as a U.S. Postal Service self-serve kiosk. He would keep the items, but send back empty packages, the affidavit said.
Tilley then took the items that he allegedly shipped back to the company and returned them to stores in multiple states. There, he’d receive a full refund on his credit or debit card, in addition to the e-gift card, giving him double credit for the online orders he purchased.
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