Man Sentenced in Two Eagan Theft Cases, Including Organized Retail Theft Scheme
Published: October 7, 2026.
EAGAN, MINNESOTA: A 65-year-old man with an extensive history of felony theft convictions has been sentenced to prison in two separate Dakota County cases involving retail thefts in Eagan, including an organized retail theft case spanning several Minnesota cities and a later case in which prosecutors said he returned to an Eagan store despite having been trespassed from the property.
Leslie Gene Robinson was sentenced September 28, 2026, in both cases after pleading guilty to felony organized retail theft and felony third-degree burglary. In each case, District Court Judge Dannia L. Edwards sentenced Robinson to 26 months in the custody of the Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning Robinson will serve them at the same time rather than consecutively.
Robinson received 211 days of credit for time already served in the organized retail theft case and 195 days of credit in the burglary case. Restitution was reserved for 60 days in both cases and can be collected from prison wages, according to the sentencing orders. The two cases stem from separate investigations by the Eagan Police Department: the first involved a series of thefts between February and March 2024, and the second involved a June 2025 theft from an Eagan retailer.
Organized Retail Theft Case Spanned Multiple Minnesota Cities
As Limitless Media News previously reported when Robinson was originally charged, the first case began with an investigation into a February 7, 2024, theft from an Eagan retailer.
According to the criminal complaint, surveillance video showed Robinson and a juvenile entering the store at approximately 5:52 p.m. Prosecutors alleged Robinson removed security devices from two items, staged the merchandise on a shelf, and walked away. Robinson and the juvenile later returned, and Robinson allegedly placed the merchandise into a shopping bag he pulled from his jacket before the two left without paying.
During their investigation, officers connected Robinson and accomplices to several additional thefts around Minnesota.
On February 8th, Robinson and the juvenile allegedly entered an Oakdale store, concealed merchandise in a bag, and left without paying. On February 13th, prosecutors alleged the pair went to a grocery store in Mankato, where the juvenile filled a shopping cart with merchandise before the items were bagged, concealed, and taken from the store without payment. Robinson and the juvenile allegedly returned to the Eagan retailer on February 27th. According to the complaint, Robinson selected merchandise while the juvenile acted as a lookout, with the pair passing merchandise back and forth before leaving the store without paying.
Two days later, Robinson, the juvenile, and another person allegedly entered an Owatonna store. Prosecutors alleged Robinson removed security devices from two items and appeared to direct the juvenile to take them. Officers later stopped the vehicle occupied by the group and recovered the stolen merchandise.
The final incident included in the case occurred March 13, 2024, at a grocery store in Shorewood. Prosecutors alleged Robinson and two others collected merchandise before Robinson and another suspect pushed a shopping cart out of the store without paying. A third suspect allegedly left several minutes later with additional unpaid merchandise.
Approximately nine minutes later, officers stopped a vehicle Robinson was driving and found the unpaid merchandise during a search, according to the complaint.
More Than $5,700 in Merchandise
Investigators later interviewed Robinson at his residence. According to the complaint, Robinson told officers the stolen merchandise was not at his home. When asked what he intended to do with the merchandise, prosecutors said Robinson acknowledged that stolen merchandise is eventually sold and said that was what he had done when stealing in the past.
Prosecutors said the combined value of the merchandise involved in the incidents was about $5,743.44. Robinson was charged with felony organized retail theft over $5,000 and felony aggregated theft over $5,000. The organized retail theft charge carried a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $35,000.
As part of a plea agreement, Robinson pleaded guilty to organized retail theft, while prosecutors agreed to dismiss the aggregated theft charge. The agreement called for a 26-month prison sentence with 211 days of credit for time already served. The court accepted the agreement and imposed that sentence September 28, 2026.
Second Case Followed 2025 Eagan Store Theft
Robinson was sentenced the same day in a separate case stemming from an alleged June 26, 2025, theft at an Eagan store.
According to that criminal complaint, and previously reported by Limitless Media News, Eagan Police were called at approximately 6:40 p.m. for a shoplifting incident in progress. The reporting party told dispatch that Robinson and Roberta Rose Howard left the store with merchandise they had not paid for. According to prosecutors, the reporting party knew Robinson because Robinson had previously been trespassed from the store.
Officers could not locate Robinson or Howard when they arrived. Store personnel told investigators that the two had entered the business and began filling a backpack with shoes and clothing. Prosecutors alleged Robinson and Howard worked together to conceal the merchandise before Howard left the store with the backpack and Robinson followed her out.
Robinson Had Been Ordered Not to Return
Investigators discovered that Robinson had previously encountered law enforcement following a theft investigation at the same store on August 21, 2024. During that incident, Robinson was given a trespass notice prohibiting him from returning to the business for one year. The June 2025 incident occurred within that one-year period. Court documents also showed Robinson had a prior felony theft conviction in Dakota County from October 2022. Those circumstances elevated the 2025 case to third-degree burglary, according to the complaint.
Under Minnesota law cited in the complaint, Robinson was charged with third-degree burglary for allegedly entering a building open to the public and stealing, either directly or as an accomplice, within one year after being ordered not to return and after having a qualifying prior conviction. The charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
Robinson pleaded guilty to the third-degree burglary charge. His written plea agreement called for a 26-month commitment to the Department of Corrections with 195 days of credit for time already served. Judge Edwards subsequently imposed the agreed-upon 26-month sentence.
Court Records Detail Extensive Theft History
Both cases also document Robinson's extensive prior history of theft-related convictions. When prosecutors filed the original organized retail theft case in 2024, the criminal complaint stated Robinson had 27 felony theft convictions since 2005, at least 23 of which involved thefts from retailers. Prosecutors also said he was on supervised release from the Minnesota Department of Corrections at the time.
When prosecutors filed the second case in 2025, they again cited those 27 prior felony theft convictions. The complaint additionally stated that Robinson then had nine other pending felony theft-related cases and five pending misdemeanor theft-related cases around Minnesota.
Those pending cases referenced in the 2025 complaint are separate from the convictions and sentences imposed in the two Dakota County cases discussed in this story.
Sentences Will Be Served at the Same Time
Although Robinson received a 26-month prison sentence in each case, the court specifically ordered the sentences to run concurrently. The organized retail theft sentencing order references the burglary case, and the burglary sentencing order likewise states that the sentence runs concurrently with the organized retail theft case. That means the two 26-month sentences do not combine into a 52-month sentence.
The sentencing orders state that the executed sentences generally consist of a minimum prison term equal to two-thirds of the total sentence, followed by a supervised-release period of up to one-third, subject to Minnesota Department of Corrections rules and applicable law. Robinson was ordered to report to the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud on September 28, 2026.
Editor’s Note: This story is based on criminal complaints, guilty plea petitions and sentencing orders filed in Dakota County District Court. Limitless Media News previously reported on Robinson’s original organized retail theft charges. Prosecutors and law enforcement attribute the allegations in the original criminal complaints to prosecutors and law enforcement. Robinson has since pleaded guilty and been convicted of felony organized retail theft and felony third-degree burglary in the two cases detailed above.
Pictured: Leslie Gene Robinson. Provided by the Dakota County Jail.
Written by: Will Wight
