Crime
The arrest is part of a coordinated effort by the Suffolk D.A.’s office to crack down on theft.
A Boston man was sentenced to two years in jail last week for breaking probation and stealing over $30,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria’s Secret and Lululemon.
Essie Billingslea, 34, was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central Division on Oct. 7 with three counts of larceny over $1,200, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Paul Treseler ordered Billingslea held on $5,000 bail on the charges. He is expected to return to court on Nov. 19 for a pre-trial hearing.
In a follow-up probation violation hearing on Oct. 31, Judge James Coffey ruled that Billingslea violated probation conditions set in July when he pleaded to a retail larceny charge and received a two-year suspended sentence.
According to the D.A.’s office, Boston police responded to the Victoria’s Secret store at 100 Huntington Ave. on Aug. 27 for a larceny report. Store employees reported that an unidentified man with a reusable T.J. Maxx bag walked in and grabbed $1,558.50 worth of merchandise.
On Aug. 29, police responded to Lululemon at 208 Newbury St. for a larceny in progress. The manager told police he saw a man wearing a yellow shirt and black pants put multiple boxes containing 145 pairs of leggings, worth $29,120, into T.J. Maxx shopping bags.
Investigators identified the man in all three incidents as Billingslea from similar crimes. Billingslea has been convicted of 20 larceny-related offenses since 2021.
Then, on Sept. 4, police were called to the Lululemon store at 776 Boylston St. A store employee reported that an unidentified man entered the store and placed about 31 pairs of leggings into a T.J. Maxx bag. The stolen merchandise had a value of about $3,200.
The D.A.’s office is working with regional retailer groups, small business owners and police to discuss safety concerns and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies.
The task force comes after reports of higher-than-normal shoplifting incidents in the city.
“We know that a small percentage of violators are responsible for a large percentage of crimes, and that basic truth holds true in retail larceny offenses,” said Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden in a statement. “Awareness of repeat offenders is a primary component of our strategy for increasing store-based safety for shoppers and employees.”
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