Serial offender with history of break-ins held on new charges
BOSTON, May 28, 2026 – A recently-released Boston man with a history of Beacon Hill-area break-ins is being held without bail after being charged Tuesday with yet another break-in in that neighborhood, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JAMES SCHAFF, 59, was charged in Central BMC with breaking and entering during the nighttime, larceny from a building, and common and notorious thief. Judge Paul Treseler set $1,000 bail on the new charges and ordered Schaff, who is currently on probation, held pending a violation hearing on June 25.
Schaff was released from the Suffolk House of Correction on May 11 after serving a six-month sentence for two 2023 break-ins in Beacon Hill. Schaff has a 24-page criminal record dating back to 1998. Schaff is on probation until February 2027.
At about 2:15 a.m. on May 20, Boston police responded to a commercial alarm at 105 Charles Street in Beacon Hill. Simultaneously, there was a commercial alarm at 75 Charles Street.
Upon arrival at both addresses, officers observed a broken pane of glass and the doors unlocked.
Shortly after, police received another call for a commercial alarm at 107 Charles Street. Officers canvassed Charles Street and found broken glass panes at 109 Charles Street and 63A Charles Street.
The owner of 105 Charles Street provided police with the store’s surveillance footage which showed an unknown male, later identified as Schaff, punch out a glass door pane, enter, head straight to the cash register and take $152 in cash.
Officers identified Schaff from still images and incident descriptions that were disseminated department wide.
“This man wasted no time returning to the conduct that has become a quality-of-life detriment to the residents and merchants in and around Beacon Hill. Luckily for everyone, officers were just as quick to identify and apprehend him,” 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