Crime
The arrest is part of a coordinated effort by the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office to crack down on theft.
A Boston man was sentenced last week to two years in prison for violating his probation and stealing more than $30,000 worth of merchandise from Victoria’s Secret and Lululemon.
Essie Billingslea, 34, was charged Oct. 7 in Boston Municipal Court Central Division with three counts of theft over $1,200, according to the The Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Paul Treseler ordered Billingslea held on $5,000 bond on the charges. He is expected to return to court on November 19 for a pre-trial hearing.
In a subsequent hearing on probation violations on October 31, Judge James Coffey ruled that Billingslea violated the July terms of probation when he pleaded to a shoplifting charge and received a two-year suspended sentence.
According to the district attorney’s office, Boston police responded to the Victoria’s Secret store on Huntington Ave. on August 27. 100 for a theft report. Store employees reported that an unknown man walked in carrying a reusable TJ Maxx bag and grabbed $1,558.50 worth of merchandise.
On August 29, police responded to Lululemon at 208 Newbury St. for a theft in progress. The manager told police he saw a man wearing a yellow shirt and black pants put several boxes of 145 pairs of leggings, valued at $29,120, into TJ Maxx shopping bags.
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Investigators identified the man in all three incidents as Billingslea from similar crimes. Billingslea has been convicted of twenty theft-related crimes since 2021.
Then on September 4, police were called to the Lululemon store at 776 Boylston St. A store employee reported that an unknown male entered the store and placed approximately 31 pairs of leggings into a TJ Maxx bag. The stolen property was valued at approximately $3,200.
The district attorney’s office is working with regional groups of retailers, small business owners and police to discuss safety concerns and help store managers devise a strategy to address shoplifting and shoplifting.
The task force comes next reports of higher than normal shoplifting incidents in the city.
“We know that a small percentage of offenders are responsible for a large percentage of crimes, and that basic truth applies to shoplifting as well,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “Awareness of repeat offenders is an important part of our strategy to increase safety in stores for customers and employees.”
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Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime and business in the New England region.