‘Lego Bandit’ Ignatius Pollara Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

WHEATON, IL — Ignatius M. Pollara, 51, has a longstanding reputation as an expert shoplifter, according to police. After a whirlwind trip from Florida to Illinois in 2015 —and several alleged shoplifting stops in between— Pollara, who has been called the “Mozart of Shoplifting,” has now been sentenced to five years in prison.

Pollara has been in custody since 2015, when he was arrested at a Hobby Lobby on Roosevelt Road in Lombard for allegedly stealing a set of art pencils, according to Chicago Tribune. Pollara had previously been on parole in Florida and his parole officer alerted police in Illinois to possible suspicious activity after learning of his trip. Police said Pollara’s arrest took place after law enforcement followed him to nearly two dozen retail stores throughout Lombard, Oak Brook and Schaumburg within 24 hours, according to Daily Herald.

Pollara was found guilty of retail theft and burglary during a bench trial in March. Pollara will reportedly get credit for time served, so must serve 8 months for the retail theft followed by nine months for contempt of court as a result of repeated outbursts he had in the courtroom.

Before Pollara came to Illinois, he allegedly stole more than $2 million of expensive toys and Lego Kits that earned him the nickname “Lego Bandit." Time Magazine reported that Pollara used some of this alleged shoplifting profits to pay for trips to Beijing and Tel Aviv. After he completes his sentence in Illinois, Pollara has an arrest warrant waiting on parole violation charges in Florida.

Before Ignatius Pollara was sentenced, Daily Herald reported that he filed a 22-page lawsuit accusing DuPage County Sheriff's Office of a "flimflam charade" in his arrest and conviction, along with an an "ill-conceived trumped-up verdict of burglary."

Related: Judge Ups Bail for Ex-Con Who Stole $2 Million in Toys

>>Image via DuPage County Police