Stepfather and son facing larceny and conspiracy charges after staging armed robbery at Downtown Crossing restaurant
BOSTON, January 6, 2025 – A stepfather and son were arraigned in BMC Central Friday on larceny and conspiracy charges after staging an armed robbery at CAVA in Downtown Crossing last month, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
NICKOLAS LAO, 19, of Charlestown was charged with larceny over $1,200 and conspiracy. Judge Richard Sinnott ordered Lao held on $5,000 bail with GPS monitoring upon release.
SCOTT DOUGLAS, 37, also of Charlestown, was charged with larceny over $1,200, conspiracy, and false reporting of a crime. Sinnott ordered Douglas held on $10,000 bail with GPS monitoring upon release.
Both will return to court January 31 for pre-trial hearings.
At about 10:34 p.m. on December 29, Boston police responded to an armed robbery in progress at CAVA, located at 125 Summer Street. Officers met with a store employee, later identified as Douglas, who reported he had been robbed at gunpoint while closing the restaurant for the night.
Douglas initially stated he felt a hard metal object being pressed against the back of his head and noticed a black AR-15 style rifle being held by an unknown male.
Douglas stated the man led him to the safe located in the back of the store. Douglas gave the man all the cash in the drawers, a black deposit bag full of cash, and several rolls of coins from the safe, totaling approximately $1,800. Douglas then said the man ordered him to face away while he ran out of the store.
Douglas provided officers with a description of the suspect. While reviewing nearby video footage, officers observed a man with a completely different description as that provided by Douglas enter the restaurant as Douglas simultaneously opens the door. At 10:31 p.m. the man is observed leaving the restaurant and fleeing toward the MBTA Chinatown Station at Washington and Boylston streets. Based on video footage, the suspect was the only other person inside the restaurant or around the immediate area at the time of the robbery.
Meeting with officers several days after the purported robbery, Douglas provided statements inconsistent with his initial statement and video footage from inside the restaurant.
Still images of the unknown male were distributed to officers in the area. Officers identified the man as Nickolas Lao. Investigators found that both Lao and Douglas are listed at the same address in Charlestown. Further investigation revealed that Lao is the son of Douglas’ ex-wife, with whom Douglas still resides.
Police sought and obtained arrest warrants for Douglas and Lao.
“We too often see employees who think they can fool police and their employers for their own illicit gain but end up fooling only themselves. This concocted incident instilled fear in our community and used up police time and resources that could have been dedicated elsewhere,” Hayden said.
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, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications