Brockton men ran organized retail crime ring
BROCKTON MA March 8 2018 – They double-dipped, switched tags and stuffed boxes, police say, on their way to hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise from dozens of stores over the last year.
Police say two Brockton men operated an organized retail crime enterprise in which they stole items from home improvements stores on more than 80 occasions to re-sell the merchandise at reduced prices online.
An investigation that began with the Bellingham and Weymouth police departments last fall resulted in the arrests of 46-year-old Shawn Monteiro and 49-year-old Paul Licciardi in Brockton on Tuesday.
Brockton police detectives assisted Bellingham police in executing search warrants at two homes — 78 Orchard Ave. and 712 North Quincy St. — and on three vehicles just after 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
Bellingham police Officer Amy Kirby and Weymouth police Officer Stephen Demorat previously began separate larceny investigations that led to the same “organized retail theft ring,” said Bellingham police Detective Stephen Daigle.
The investigation, which also included police in Blackstone, Hopedale and Medway, resulted in police identifying Licciardi and two others “as being responsible for committing regular thefts from home improvement retailers,” Daigle said.
The men, including two whose identities weren’t immediately released, were supplying the merchandise to Monteiro for resale, he said.
“Monteiro then arranged for the sales of the stolen goods through secondhand sale applications and websites,” Daigle, who applied for the arrest and search warrants, said.
The men are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items, including expensive power tools, generators, portable vacuums, and various Dewalt products, from The Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement locations throughout the state, including locally in Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Plymouth, Quincy, Rockland, Taunton and Wareham.
Police say Licciardi, who was the one sent to stores to steal items, used three different methods – double dipping, tag switching and box stuffing, according to a report filed in Milford District Court.
Licciardi would often purchase an expensive item, but set up two more carts with the same item near exits, the report states. After purchasing one of the items, he would re-enter the store with his receipt to make it look like he was picking up an item he had already paid for.
“In every instance where Mr. Licciardi made an apparent legitimate purchase with his card, he followed up the transaction by stealing at least one, but often two or more, of the same item that he had just purchased,” Daigle wrote in the arrest report. “Mr. Licciardi would immediately come back into the store and return the single item that he had paid for.”
Police say Licciardi would also “stuff boxes” by putting more expensive items into boxes of cheap merchandise and switch tags so that a $399 product could be purchased for about $50.
The stolen items were then delivered to Monteiro, who owns a business on North Montello Street in Brockton, the report states. He used various websites, including Craigslist, LetGo and OfferUp to sell the items at a reduced price under the names “Mr. Tool Guy” and “Tony Tool,” it states.
“Mr. Monteiro operates multiple websites where he sells merchandise at unrealistically low prices, not even attainable to the largest retailers of said merchandise,” Daigle wrote.
The pattern was first discovered by Home Depot loss prevention employees in early 2017, but the Bellingham police investigation began last September – and police then learned dozens of towns were victimized.
The investigation culminated on Tuesday with the arrest of the two Brockton men.
“As a result of the search warrants, tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise was recovered between the two Brockton residences and within the target’s three vehicles,” Daigle said. “Thousands of dollars in cash was recovered from Mr. Monteiro’s residence.”
Licciardi, of 712 North Quincy St., Apt. Q, was charged with larceny over $250, aggravated shoplifting by organized retail theft and conspiracy.
Monteiro, of 78 Orchard Ave., was charged with receiving stolen property over $250, aggravated shoplifting by organized retail theft and conspiracy.
Both men were held on $50,000 bail as they could not get defense attorneys when they were brought to Milford District Court on Tuesday. They will now be arraigned on Thursday.
Police say more charges may be filed as the investigation remains open.
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