Common and notorious thief receives prison sentence for slew of Home Depot larcenies
BOSTON, August 12, 2026 – A Boston man with a lengthy history of shoplifting and trespassing charges dating to 2001 was sentenced Tuesday in Suffolk Superior court for a series of thefts from Home Depot stores in West Roxbury and the South Bay Mall, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JERAMIE CROFT, 42, was charged with larceny over $1,200, two counts of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme, three counts of malicious destruction of property, and being a common and notorious thief. Croft pleaded guilty to all seven charges on August 11.
Judge Catherine Ham sentenced Croft to two and a half to three years in state prison followed by two years of probation from the completion of his sentence. Croft is to stay away from the South Bay Mall, any victims or witnesses, and all Home Depot stores upon his release.
A Home Depot representative was present during Tuesday’s hearing.
Croft committed a series of larcenies in the South Bay Mall between February 23 and March 17, 2025, a larceny at the West Roxbury Home Depot on April 12, 2025, and a second group of larcenies at the South Bay Mall Home Depot between May 8 and June 21, 2025. The total value of the thefts was about $7,000. On each occasion, surveillance video captured Croft walking into the store, selecting high-priced items, then exiting without payment.
On February 23, 2025, Croft was seen on surveillance footage from the Home Depot store in the South Bay Mall at 8 Allstate Road in Dorchester taking two Milwaukee drill combination kits and leaving the store without paying. The following day, he returned and was approached by employees who told him he was trespassing and needed to leave the store. Croft replied that he had stolen the two drills the day prior and would be back to steal more items. The two drills were valued at $798.
Less than one week later, on February 27, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, breaching a locked cage on the sales floor, taking two Milwaukee drill combination kits, placing them in a 27-gallon tote, and exiting the store without paying. The two drills and tote were valued at $807.98.
On March 17, 2025, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, taking a carbon monoxide detector, a 250-foot Southwire electrical wire roll, and a 100-foot Southwire electrical wire roll, placing them into a 48-gallon trash barrel, and exiting the store without paying. Croft wore the same jacket and shoes as he wore in the February larcenies. The value of the stolen merchandise was $690.96.
On April 12, 2025, Croft was seen on video entering the Home Depot store in West Roxbury at 1213 VFW Parkway and taking several five-circuit breaker boxes, an iPhone charging cable, and various other items, placing them in a 50-gallon wheeled trash barrel and exiting the store without paying. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $2,251.32.
On May 8, 2025, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, using pliers to cut the spider wrap from a Milwaukee Nailer kit, taking the kit and placing it in a 27-gallon tote, and exiting the store without paying. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $338.98.
On May 14, 2025, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, wearing the same jacket, hat, and shoes as the robbery a week prior. Croft again used pliers to cut the spider wrap from a Milwaukee Nailer kit before taking a Milwaukee circle saw, placing the items in a 45-gallon trash barrel, and leaving the store without paying. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $645.97.
Two days later, on May 16, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, cutting the spider wrap of two Milwaukee Nailer kits and exiting with the items through the self-checkout without paying. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $798.00.
On June 21, 2025, Croft was seen on video, again in the South Bay Mall Home Depot, taking a 27-gallon tote, a DeWalt Nailer kit, and a Milwaukee vacuum, placing them in a 44-gallon trash barrel, and exiting the store without paying. The total value of the stolen merchandise was $733.94.
Croft’s criminal record consists of more than 80 convictions and at least 65 of them resulted in committed time. Croft has been convicted of more than 20 shoplifting charges.
“We take great care to provide rehabilitative services to offenders when appropriate, but some individuals require a much different approach. Mr. Croft is one of those individuals. He presents a clear threat to our retail community and this prison sentence is entirely justified by his repeated offenses,” 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. The Safe Shopping Initiative uses a mixture of diversionary measures, court-mandated conditions such as stay-away orders, and traditional prosecutions to keep shoppers and workers safe in retail settings.
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