Investigations lead to the arrest of four men for organized shoplifting

July 26, 2024 By Hingham Police

Following an investigation by Hingham and Weymouth police, four men were arrested on Friday in the parking lot of a Hingham shopping center for organized shoplifting.

On July 19, 2024, Hingham detectives were contacted by Weymouth Police detectives who observed suspicious activity by the four men in an SUV at a Weymouth shopping center and followed the SUV into the Derby Street Shops in Hingham. Detectives continued to observe the men’s suspicious activity as they entered and exited the Apple Store.

Officers noticed the temporary license plate did not fit the SUV and stopped it as it was leaving a parking lot. A bilingual Weymouth officer came to help translate. Officers saw a passenger attempt to hide a credit card under his seat. Police contacted the card’s owner, an 80-year-old woman who said her wallet had just been stolen from her purse while she was shopping in Weymouth.

Inside the SUV, police found the woman’s stolen wallet, three iPhones she had purchased separately at the Apple Store in Hingham with the stolen card, and bags full of items she had purchased with credit cards at stores in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Arrested were: 1) Wilmer Vasquez Labato, 50 years old, 67 Lincoln St. Apt.1, Waltham, MA 2) Miguel Angel Gomez Avina, 30 years old, 223 Grove St., Lexington, MA 3) Jesse Marlo Sanchez Asmat, 32 years old, 220 Grove St., Lexington, MA 4) Misael Donato Rivera, 46 years old, 223 Robinson St., Boston, MA.

All were charged with: 1) organized retail crime 2) receiving stolen property over $1200 3) receiving stolen property under $1200 4) conspiracy. The driver, Wilmer Vasquez Labato, was also charged with 1) driving without a license 2) affixing license plates 3) driving without insurance 4) driving without registration.

All four were booked into the Hingham Police Department and released on bail pending arraignment in Hingham District Court on July 22, 2024. This incident remains under investigation. ### Contact PIO Lt. Steven Dearth