Minneapolis Man Charged Again in Eagan Outlet Mall Theft - Prosecutors Cite Repeat Offender Status
EAGAN, MINNESOTA —A Minneapolis man already facing serious organized retail theft charges in Dakota County is now accused of committing another felony-level burglary after allegedly shoplifting from the Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan, a store he had been legally barred from entering due to a prior trespass notice.
Leslie Gene Robinson, 63, of Minneapolis, was charged this week in Dakota County District Court with third-degree burglary involving a public building, which is a felony offense under Minnesota law. The incident allegedly occurred on June 26, 2025, just months after his arrest in connection with a series of organized thefts across multiple Minnesota cities.
According to the criminal complaint from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, Eagan police were called around 6:40 p.m. to the outlet mall on a report of a shoplifting in progress. Loss prevention personnel reported that Robinson and a second suspect, identified as Roberta Rose Howard, were seen working together to fill a backpack with shoes and clothing before leaving the store without paying.
Store staff recognized Robinson from a previous incident and confirmed he had trespassed from the same outlet mall store on August 21, 2024, following a prior theft-related investigation. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Howard leaving first with the backpack of stolen merchandise, with Robinson exiting the store shortly thereafter. Because of the 2024 trespass order and his extensive criminal history, entering the store again with the alleged intent to steal qualifies as felony third-degree burglary under Minnesota Statute § 609.582, Subd. 3(b).
Robinson’s record includes 27 prior felony theft convictions since 2005, at least 23 of which involved retail thefts. He also has a felony theft conviction from October 2022 in Dakota County, which satisfies the prior-conviction requirement under the statute. In total, prosecutors say he has nine pending felony theft-related cases and five pending misdemeanor theft cases statewide. Due to the ongoing risk to public safety and his pattern of continued criminal behavior, the Dakota County Attorney’s Office had requested a warrant for Robinson’s arrest on July 29, 2025. That warrant was served on August 6, 2025.
This latest charge follows an earlier case we reported on, Repeat Offender Charged with Organized Retail Theft in Dakota County, that we published on August 23rd of last year.
In that case, Robinson was charged with Organized Retail Theft and Aggregated Theft for allegedly coordinating a series of thefts between February 7 and March 13, 2024, from retail stores in Eagan, Oakdale, Mankato, Owatonna, and Shorewood. Surveillance footage and police reports described a pattern of removing security tags and concealing merchandise, with Robinson allegedly directing or personally executing the thefts.
He was arrested on March 13, 2024, after police stopped him and two others leaving a grocery store in Shorewood with stolen items. He allegedly admitted during police interviews that he regularly stole merchandise with the intent to resell it.
Following his most recent incident, Robinson’s bail was set at $60,000 without conditions and $40,000 with conditions. His next court hearing is set for August 12, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings. As with all criminal proceedings, Robinson is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. We will continue to provide updates on both cases as they progress through the legal system.
Dakota County Jail
Written by: Will Wight
