Show-Me State Times

A St. Louis man was convicted on Tuesday in U.S. District Court for stealing more than $200,000 in merchandise from Kohl’s using a scheme involving the retailer’s promotional currency, “Kohl’s Cash.”

Evidence presented at trial showed that Marshall Lampkin, 35, executed the scam by first using Kohl’s Cash to make large purchases—often exceeding $1,000—in store locations. Before these transactions were fully processed in the system, Lampkin used the same Kohl’s Cash to order additional merchandise online. He would then return the in-store items for a refund in Kohl’s Cash and repeat the process.

Testimony revealed that Lampkin carried out this method more than 100 times during 2021 and 2022 across 40 different Kohl’s stores located in 13 states. The items he obtained included flooring, furniture, small appliances, and other goods, which he shipped to storage units in St. Louis and to a relative's home in Illinois. Lampkin later attempted to sell these products through Facebook advertisements.

Investigators recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of Kohl’s merchandise stored at Lampkin’s storage facilities.

After a trial that began Monday, jurors returned guilty verdicts against Lampkin on five counts of mail fraud after less than seven minutes of deliberation. Sentencing is set for December.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and the St. Louis County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Ladendorf and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.

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