ICYMI: “This isn’t typical shoplifting”: Congresswoman Lee Highlights Legislation to Combat Organized Retail Crime

LAS VEGAS, NV – Last week, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) joined Catalyst Brands, parent company of JCPenney, the National Retail Federation, and the Nevada Organized Retail Crime Association to discuss her bipartisan, bicameral Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which would deter individuals and groups involved in organized retail crime (ORC). Recently, the House Judiciary Committee marked up and passed her bill unanimously.

Read more below:

KSNV-NBC 3: Bipartisan bill targets organized retail crime networks

March 9, 2026 | Cristen Drummond

• U.S. Rep. Susie Lee on Monday called for federal action to combat organized retail crime, saying coordinated theft rings are costing Nevada millions and threatening public safety.
• Speaking outside a Las Vegas JC Penney, Lee said organized retail crime involves sophisticated networks that steal large quantities of merchandise and resell it across state lines.
• “This isn’t typical shoplifting,” Lee said. “This is a coordinated criminal enterprise.”
• Her bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act would designate organized retail crime as a federal offense and establish a coordination center within Homeland Security Investigations to support multi-state investigations.
• The House Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the bill in January.

KVVU-FOX 5: Nevada congresswomen introduce bill to make organized retail crime a federal offense

March 9, 2026 | FOX5 Staff

• Two Nevada congresswomen have 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.
• Susie Lee and Dina Titus’ bill has passed the House Judiciary Committee and now awaits a vote in the full House.
• 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.

KLAS-CBS 8: Las Vegas ranks 6th in retail crime, lawmakers and retailers fight back

March 9, 2026 | Jezzamine Wolk

• The National Retail Federation ranked Las Vegas as the sixth hardest hit city in the U.S. for retail crime in 2025.
• Now, lawmakers and business leaders are teaming up to crack down.
• During a Monday news conference, business leaders and lawmakers focused specifically on organized retail crime, saying it continues to grow and is much more sophisticated than petty theft.
• Additionally, they claim it crosses state lines.
• Catalyst Brands Chief Operating Officer Kevin Harpe explained that the company had already made changes in its stores that customers may have already noticed to combat the trend.
• Nevada Democratic Congresswoman Susie Lee said the cost is already being felt across the state.
• “In our state of Nevada, we’ve lost $85 million in tax revenues,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Guess who pays those? We all do.”
• The Congresswoman hopes to address the issue at a root level; her solution is listing this as a federal crime, which would allow law enforcement to confiscate the stolen merchandise.
• “If California increases its monitoring and prosecution, the criminals are just going to come to Nevada,” Lee told 8 News Now.
• The Congresswoman’s bipartisan “Combating Organized Retail Crime Act” was passed by the House Judiciary Committee unanimously earlier this year. 

KOLO-ABC 8: KOLO 8 News Now @ 4:30PM

March 10, 2026

• Nevada Representative Susie Lee is making a push to crack down on organized retail crime.
• She is introducing a bill to make it a federal offense.
• It would also create a coordination center in the Department of Homeland Security to combat these crimes.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says organized retail crime cost Nevada more than $466 million in stolen goods in just 2021 alone. 

Telemundo: Noticiero Telemundo Las Vegas @ 6pm

March 9, 2026

• Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee met with Catalyst Brands, the parent company of JCPenney, as well as the National Retail Federation and the Nevada Organized Retail Crime Association, to discuss her bipartisan bill against organized retail crime.
• In 2021, Nevada, this type of crime caused an estimated loss of $85 million in tax revenue and more than $466 million in total stolen goods.
• It should be noted that the National Retail Federation ranked Las Vegas as the 6th most affected city by this type of crime by 2025.

On January 30, 2026, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, teeing it up for a vote by the full House of Representatives. Congresswoman Lee has secured over $4.5 billion in federal funding to support public safety and will continue working to ensure local law enforcement officers have the tools and resources they need to keep southern Nevada safe. 

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