A 33-year-old Springfield man is headed to state prison after a routine shoplifting stop at a West Springfield Big Y spiraled into a threat with what looked like a pocketknife. Travis Feliciano was sentenced to two and a half to three years behind bars following his conviction on charges of larceny of a person and unarmed robbery, stemming from an April 2025 incident at the supermarket.
Surveillance Video Captured the Theft
According to wwlp.com, surveillance footage showed Feliciano taking more than $200 worth of laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies from the store on April 29, 2025. He allegedly placed the items in a grocery cart and walked out without paying, according to the same report. A loss-prevention officer followed him out of the store, setting up the confrontation that would ultimately define the case.
Once outside, the station's report states that Feliciano turned around, threatened the employee, and displayed what the victim believed was a pocketknife. The employee retreated back into the store, and Feliciano left the area with the stolen merchandise still in hand. Police located and took Feliciano into custody a short time later in front of a nearby Savers, per the same account — though no knife was ever recovered.
Jury Convicts, Prosecutors and Defense Spar Over Sentence
A jury found Feliciano guilty of larceny of a person and unarmed robbery on October 23. Prosecutors had requested a sentence of five to six years in state prison, while Feliciano's attorney asked for one to two years, according to Western Mass News. The judge ultimately landed between those requests, handing down the two-and-a-half to three-year term attributed to the Hampden District Attorney's Office.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the threat elevated the severity of what began as a simple theft. “The defendant's decision to threaten a store employee turned a theft into a much more serious encounter,” Gulluni said, according to wwlp.com. Gulluni also said that no one should have to fear for their safety simply for doing their job, per Western Mass News.
A Similar Allegation From a Decade Ago
This is not the first time Feliciano's name has surfaced in connection with an alleged threat during a theft. Back in June 2016, police arrested a then-23-year-old Travis Feliciano on charges of robbing two downtown Springfield banks, according to masslive.com. In that case, police said he implied to tellers at both banks that he had a weapon before taking money and fleeing, the outlet reported.
Under Massachusetts law, unarmed robbery can carry a sentence of imprisonment in state prison for life or for any term of years, according to the Massachusetts Legislature's General Laws Chapter 265, Section 19. Separately, the state's larceny statute under Chapter 266, Section 30 allows a larceny charge involving a person whose name is unknown, provided the property stolen qualifies as personal property, according to the Massachusetts Legislature.
