A Brooklyn Park man is accused of stealing wallets from cars at Life Time parking lots across the Twin Cities — including Eden Prairie — and using the stolen cards to make fraudulent purchases, according to a Hennepin County criminal complaint.
Marquail Taijon Townsend, 32, is charged with felony identity theft for allegedly using the personal information of eight or more people between June 6 and Oct. 29, 2025. The case was investigated by Eden Prairie police and filed Nov. 4 in Hennepin County District Court.
Police say Townsend was linked to multiple vehicle break-ins at Life Time locations in Minnetonka, Plymouth, Eden Prairie, Lakeville and St. Louis Park. Investigators identified a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu connected to the thefts and, with a court order, placed a tracking device on it.
According to the complaint:
- On Oct. 1, a license plate reader — a camera system that scans vehicle plates — alerted officers to the Chevy Malibu’s location at Life Time Minnetonka, where officers arrested Townsend and recovered a financial card belonging to a woman who did not know him.
- On Oct. 14, the Chevy Malibu was tracked to Life Time Plymouth during a wallet theft and minutes later to Life Time Eden Prairie, where officers say they saw Townsend tampering with another vehicle. He was arrested and found with stolen cards and property, and the Plymouth victim’s wallet was recovered nearby.
- On Oct. 19, a wallet was stolen from a vehicle at Life Time Lakeville, and a fraudulent transaction followed at a Bloomington gas station.
- On Oct. 20, a card stolen at Life Time St. Louis Park was used in an attempted purchase at an Eden Prairie gas station, the complaint says.
Searches of the car and Townsend’s hotel room on Oct. 29 recovered multiple driver’s licenses, insurance cards, financial cards and gift cards. Investigators identified 38 victims and $16,850.91 in confirmed fraudulent charges, with additional attempts declined, according to the complaint.
After being advised of his rights, Townsend denied using stolen cards but did not deny breaking into vehicles, the filing states.
Townsend was arrested by Eden Prairie police on Oct. 29 and remained in custody as of Nov. 8, according to jail records. A judge set bail at $40,000 at his Nov. 5 first appearance. An omnibus hearing is set for Dec. 4.
Court records also list a separate Brooklyn Center case alleging second-degree drug possession, with a hearing set for Nov. 12.
