New York State Fighting ORC with New Legislative Package
 

NY State Senate Consumer Protection Committee passes new ORC legislative package that cracks down on ORC and now will face the Senate floor for final approval. The actual legislative package includes six bills:

S.6956: Defines "Organized Retail Crime", adds to the General Business Law the crime of "theft of retail merchandise with an aggregated value of $1,000", and makes corresponding changes to the Penal Law to define such crime as "grand larceny in the fourth degree".

S.6958-B:
Relates to jurisdiction and venue for a pattern of criminal offenses, granting jurisdiction to any county when at least one of the crimes constituting a pattern occurs within the county.

S6959-A:
Relates to prohibitions and penalties against persons who lead an organized retail theft enterprise by organizing, supervising, financing or managing such criminal activity.

S.6954-A:
Prohibits criminal practices with an access device and classifies such crime as a class B misdemeanor. This crime would subject individuals to criminal liability for certain actions taken with a fraudulent or counterfeit credit card or other devices that grant the holder access to money, goods, or services.

S.6955-A:
Prohibits retail sales receipt fraud and Universal Product Code fraud and provides for criminal penalties for such crimes.

S.6957-A:
Adds a new section to the General Business Law and a subdivision to Penal Law to provide that use of an emergency exit to facilitate a theft from a mercantile establishment is classified as "grand larceny in the fourth degree".

"Organized retail crime rings operate and threaten consumers in every part of this state," said Retail Council of New York State President and CEO James R. Sherin. "Senator Zeldin recognized the danger immediately and responded with a package of bold and important bills that the retail industry wholeheartedly supports." (Source newsli.com)