Bill > S0159

This bill amends South Carolina's retail theft law to create a more comprehensive and graduated approach to addressing organized retail crime. The legislation defines "organized retail crime" as two or more people conspiring to steal retail property with the intent to sell or exchange it for monetary gain. The bill establishes a detailed penalty structure that increases in severity based on the total value of stolen property, ranging from misdemeanors for theft valued between $2,000 and $10,000 to felonies for theft exceeding $50,000. First-time offenders face potential fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment up to twenty years, depending on the value of stolen goods. The bill also introduces a new category of "organized retail crime of an aggravated nature" for cases involving significant property damage (over $2,000) or causing bodily injury to another person. Additionally, the law allows for aggregating multiple theft offenses within a 90-day period to determine the total value of stolen property, and specifies that offenses committed in different counties can be prosecuted in any county where acts occurred. The bill aims to provide law enforcement with more robust tools to combat organized retail theft and impose proportional penalties based on the scale and impact of the criminal activity.

Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=0159&session=126&summary=B