A St. Louis man has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded Kohl’s out of nearly $300,000 in merchandise.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Marshall Lampkin, 36, to 87 months in prison. Lampkin was also ordered to pay Kohl’s $301,713 in restitution and to forfeit any stolen items that authorities have recovered.
Evidence presented at Lampkin’s trial revealed that he exploited the Kohl’s Cash rewards program by making large purchases at physical stores using Kohl’s Cash—often exceeding $1,000—and then immediately using the same rewards online before the transaction registered in the system. He would subsequently return the store-bought items for more Kohl’s Cash and repeat the process. According to testimony, this method was used hundreds of times across dozens of stores in over a dozen states.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf stated during the sentencing hearing that even after Kohl’s deactivated Lampkin’s account and warned him to stop, he continued his activities by recruiting accomplices.
Lampkin had approximately $293,000 worth of goods—including flooring, furniture, small appliances, and other items—shipped to storage units in St. Louis and a relative's home in Illinois. He later sold or attempted to sell these products through Facebook advertisements.
Ladendorf described this scam as part of a pattern spanning nearly two decades. Lampkin began by illegally selling MetroLink tickets in 2007, moved on to shoplifting from major retailers between 2010 and 2011, and targeted another national pharmacy chain's rewards program from 2013 until 2023. When confronted by store staff during these incidents, Ladendorf said Lampkin would become violent.
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 prosecuted the case.
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