Silicon Valley tech exec busted using false barcodes to steal Legos

Silicon Valley tech exec busted using false barcodes to steal Legos

Tech leader used his expertise to try and cheat stores

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

Thomas Langenbach, vice president at Palo Alto’s SAP Labs Integration and Certification Center, has been arrested and charged with using his expertise – computer codes and the Internet – to steal Lego toys from local Target stores.

Silicon Valley technology executive has been arrested for placing false barcodes on Legos toys to purchase them at a steep discount. (Via: ibtimes.com)

Given that the case is still relatively new, there is no official reason for the crime spree. The DA did, however, suggest that Langenbach’s scheme may be the result of compulsion or otherwise a desire to beat the system.

To catch a techie

Catching Langenbach was not easy. Smartphones now come with their own bar code scanners, so it’s somewhat common for store security officers to see shoppers studying bar codes.

It was Langenbach’s slightly odd shopping habits that got him noticed. Using some sleight of hand maneuvers, he would apply personally-made bar code stickers to Lego toy boxes to cover up the real bar codes. After checking them on the store’s price checker, he would purchase said toys at a steep discount. For example, he bought a Millennium Falcon box of Legos, priced at $279, for just $49 by swapping the code. The counter clerks did not pick up on the discounted price.

He made a lot of money doing this

Once Langenbach was caught, police obtained a search warrant and discovered an enormous collection of Legos at the tech exec’s large, $2 million San Carlos home, as well as a staging area to photograph the toys so he could post pictures on eBay. When they looked in his car, authorities found eight Ziploc bags containing dozens of bar code stickers. The bags had the name of various Lego items on them; some codes provided him a $20 discount, while others gave him a $100 discount.

“In his house, we found hundreds of boxes of unopened Lego sets,” said Liz Wylie, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View police. “He sold 2,100 items in just over a year on eBay, and made $30,000. The motive was clearly money. Why does he want the money? I don’t know. I can think of a million different possible scenarios. For some people it’s boredom. For some it’s a compulsive thing.”

For the curious reader, Langenbach’s eBay selling ID was “tomsbrickyard.”

Lagenbach’s “tomsbrickyard” account is no longer active. (Via: ebay.com)

Kudos to the security team at Target

According to the police report, Lagenbach was seen buying two Lego sets at reduced prices on April 20. He then went to a second Target and was noticed buying two more Lego sets, a purchase that saved him $170.

This set off the alarms for the surveillance crew at Target, and flyers with a picture of Lagenbach were issued to the floor security team.

On May 8, Target security personnel noticed Lagenbach enter one of their stores and immediately placed him under watch. According to the report, the SAP VP placed his own bar codes on three boxes and checked them on the store’s price check scanners to make sure he was getting the discounted price. He then placed two boxes back on the shelves, and went to purchase a single set of Legos.

Upon leaving the store, Lagenbach was confronted and detained by Target security. The cops were called and he was arrested on site without incident. Lagenbach was later released on $10,000 bail.

Future

Silicon Valley tech exec Thomas Lagenbach has been arrested and charged with four counts of burglary.

Lagenbach has a degree in computer science and business administration from Berufsakademie Mannheim University in Mannheim, Germany. He has worked with SAP (Systems, Applications and Products) for 24 years. The company is based out of Germany and has over 55,000 employees globally.

Lagenbach’s status with SAP is not yet known. He was arraigned Tuesday on four felony counts of burglary in Santa Clara County court and the case is set for a June 20 hearing. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. ■

Story and image 3 via: MercuryNews.com