A Boston man with more than 80 criminal convictions on his record is heading to state prison after prosecutors say he ran a months-long shoplifting operation at Home Depot stores, wheeling out drills, vacuums, and circuit breaker boxes in large trash barrels rather than paying for them. Jeramie Croft, 42, was sentenced by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Catherine Ham to serve two and a half to three years in state prison, followed by two years of probation.
Croft will serve his time at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, according to Universal Hub. Upon his release, he has also been ordered to stay away from all Home Depot locations, South Bay Mall, and any victims or witnesses in the case. As Boston.com reports, Croft pleaded guilty to all seven charges against him, including two counts of larceny over $1,200 by single scheme, three counts of malicious destruction of property, and being adjudicated a common and notorious thief.
A Pattern Caught on Camera
According to Boston.com, Croft’s Home Depot thefts began on February 23, 2025, when he stole two drill combination kits valued at $798 from the South Bay Mall store and walked out without paying. Home Depot employees told him the following day that he was trespassing and needed to leave, but he returned to steal more merchandise on February 27, then again on March 17, according to the outlet’s reporting.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Croft wheeled hundreds or thousands of dollars in merchandise out of stores using large trash barrels, per Boston.com. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office detailed the mechanics of his April 12, 2025 theft at the West Roxbury Home Depot on VFW Parkway: Croft loaded five circuit breaker boxes, an iPhone charging cable, and other items worth $2,251.32 into a 50-gallon wheeled trash barrel before leaving without paying. A second string of thefts at South Bay Mall ran from May 8 through June 21, 2025, closing with a final documented haul of a 27-gallon tote, a DeWalt nailer kit, and a Milwaukee vacuum packed into a 44-gallon barrel worth $733.94, per the district attorney’s office. In total, Hayden said Croft’s eight recorded theft trips amounted to roughly $7,000 in stolen goods.
Caught Boasting, Then Caught by Police
Surveillance video captured Croft entering the stores, taking high-priced items, and exiting without payment, Boston.com reported. At one point, Croft told someone he had stolen two drills the previous day and planned to return to steal more items, according to the outlet’s account of the case…