Common and notorious thief charged with larceny after stealing over $400 of merchandise from store
BOSTON, December 30, 2025 – A Dorchester man with a 42-page criminal record was arraigned Monday in BMC Central on larceny charges after robbing the same store three times in one month, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
DARRIN O’NEIL, 60, is charged with larceny under $1200, and being a common and notorious thief.
O’Neil has a criminal record dating back to 1983, including numerous convictions for larceny, receiving stolen property, credit card fraud, and breaking and entering. He currently has open cases for larceny from a building and receiving stolen property in Somerville.
Judge James Coffey ordered $2500 bail and a stay away order for the location of the theft. O’Neil will return to court January 6 for appointment of council.
On December 27, an employee of Dick’s House of Sport at 760 Boylston Street called police to report a man concealing merchandise. Officers responded and observed a male matching the description exit the store and cross Boylston Street. Officers stopped the individual, later identified as O’Neil, who was in possession of clothing with tags still affixed. The total value of the items retrieved was $408. The items were returned to the store, where an employee showed officers surveillance footage of what appeared to be O’Neil stealing items on November 30 and December 24.
“We and our partners are focusing on retail-based crimes for a number of important reasons, including worker and shopper safety and the desire to keep stores open and accessible to consumers. Some offenders will receive the services they need to help change their behavior. Others, particularly violent repeat offenders, will be treated as the public safety threats they are,” Hayden said.
Hayden’s office, the Boston Police department, regional retailer groups and small business owners in 2024 launched the Safe Shopping Initiative, an effort to increase consumer safety and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies. The initiative formed amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications