Missouri House Bill 495 recognized the rise of organized large-scale retail theft rings and establishes the new offense of Organized Retail Theft (ORT) in Missouri. It defines ORT as a series of thefts of retail merchandise with the intent to return, resell, or trade the merchandise for value.
These are crimes that are not isolated incidents, but coordinated efforts by organized groups.
Beginning Aug. 28, the crime of Organized Retails Theft is a Class C felony if the value of stolen property is between $1,500 and $10,000 within a 120-day period and a Class B felony if the value is over $10,000.
The law also provides for restitution to be ordered in addition to other penalties, and permits prosecution in any jurisdiction where the merchandise was taken or where the defendant was present.
