Stepfather, Son Charged in Fake Robbery

Scott Douglas and his stepson, Nickolas Lao, both from Charlestown, have been charged with staging an armed robbery at a Cava restaurant in Boston. Douglas, 37, and Lao, 19, are accused of larceny over $1,200 and conspiracy, with Douglas facing additional charges for false crime reporting. The incident occurred on December 29, when Douglas claimed he was robbed at gunpoint by an assailant wielding a black AR-15-style rifle. However, surveillance footage contradicted his account, showing a man entering the restaurant as Douglas opened the door, and leaving shortly after. The man in the video was later identified as Lao, leading to their arrest. Both men were arraigned and held on bail with GPS monitoring, awaiting their pre-trial hearings at the end of January.