LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Nevada congresswoman has introduced legislation that would make organized retail crime a federal offense and establish a coordination center within the Department of Homeland Security to address the issue.
Congresswoman Susie Lee’s bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee and now awaits a vote in the full House.
Las Vegas ranks among most-affected cities
The National Retail Federation ranks Las Vegas as the sixth most-affected city by retail crime in 2025. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates organized retail crime cost Nevada more than $466 million in stolen goods in 2021.
Incidents in the Las Vegas area have included the arrest of a man connected to burglaries at a dozen businesses in the west valley. Other states have seen incidents caught on camera in which groups of people entered stores and took merchandise.
‘Coordinated criminal syndicates’
Jake Crank, president of the Nevada Organized Retail Crime Association, said the issue goes beyond traditional shoplifting.
“Organized retail crime is not traditional shoplifting. This is not a parent taking groceries to feed their family. These are coordinated criminal syndicates stealing large volumes of property and moving that stolen property through organized fencing operations, often across multiple states and sometimes across the country,” Crank said.
“Organized retail crime affects community safety, drives up costs for consumers, and threatens the economic health of our communities and our nation,” he said.
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