In the wake of Middletown, Ohio's big 52 member ORC gang bust, Dayton's Better Business Bureau hosts ORC Seminar  With all the press coverage ORC is now getting nationwide this might be a trend we start seeing. As the new laws and success of the various ORC teams across America start getting more coverage and attention we will see a public response. And it's about time. "Prevent Organized Retail Crime Within Your Business Seminar", Thursday, October 24, 7:30 - 9 a.m., Bob Bowman, chief of the Perry Township Police Department and director of security at The Greene, will be the presenter of this informative seminar. He will share tips to help you identify these criminals and protect your business from them. He’ll also share the role of the IROC (Investigating Retail Organized Crime) taskforce in our community and how you can help. With BBB doing this in Dayton it may be the first of many across the U.S. (Source bbb.org)

A Wolf in Sheep's clothing? "The Lone Granny Gang" ORC Thief & former Department of Justice employee is a financial fraud specialist  A 66-year-old Salem, Ore., woman who retired from the state Department of Justice's financial fraud section hitting Safeway stores on at least 17 occasions and stealing Rogaine, razors and other health and beauty merchandise, and selling it on Amazon's site or under the moniker "eaglecap2" on eBay. Informants made purchases from the sites, and the packages sent to them identified Armstrong as the seller on the shipping labels. In one e-mail communication with a buyer, Armstrong wrote that she buys low and sells high: "It's the American way, thank God," she wrote. Also advertised on her sites were DVDs, toys and children's books, but the best-selling item appeared to be Rogaine. Stores targeted were in Salem, Keizer, Albany, Lebanon and Sweet Home, investigators said. When law enforcement raided her Salem home with a search warrant Thursday, they seized several computers. One was on at the time, and investigators said they discovered a recent Google search on it: "Find my nearest Safeway.'' Armstrong was previously convicted of first-degree theft in Marion County in November 2012. Can you imagine the gifts under her Christmas tree. What a "Lone Granny Gang." (Source oregonlive.com)

New Jersey's ORC Law - 2009 New Jersey Code
TITLE 2C - THE NEW JERSEY CODE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Section 2C:20
2C:20-11.2 - Leader of organized retail theft enterprise
2.A person is a leader of an organized retail theft enterprise if he conspires with others as an organizer, supervisor, financier or manager, to engage for profit in a scheme or course of conduct to effectuate the transfer or sale of shoplifted merchandise. Leader of organized retail theft enterprise is a crime of the second degree. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:43-3, the court may impose a fine not to exceed $250,000 or five times the retail value of the merchandise seized at the time of the arrest, whichever is greater. (Source justia.com)

Orlando thieves targeting baby formula at Target
Two men are in jail after deputies say they shoplifted at several Central Florida Targets, swiping baby formula to sell on the black market. Timothy Lynn Green, Jr., 32, and Giordano Romanko, 27, are accused of filling storage bins with baby formula, then leaving without paying for it at two stores in Seminole County and one store in Orange County. (Source orlandosentinel.com)

“Operation Asset” run by North Port Police makes 38 assets in 4 days
North Port Police have responded with a 10-day sting operation called "Operation Asset." Working with merchants, police made 38 arrests from Sept. 10-14. They also recovered more than $5,000 worth of stolen merchandise from the shopping plazas located near the intersection of Sumter Boulevard and U.S. 41. Twenty-seven arrests were for theft, six for trespassing, two for drug charges and one for an outstanding warrant. Items stolen included plumbing supplies, a saw blade, beer, caulk, cosmetics, a phone charger, a DVD and even a Halloween costume. The alleged suspects range from hardened criminals to teenagers, including two brothers Jayson Arias, 31, and Andres Arias, 33, who police said have outstanding warrants across the Southeast United States for organizing a series of crimes. (Source heraldtribune.com)