Bill > SB2466

This bill establishes a new criminal offense called "fraudulent freight theft," which involves unlawfully obtaining or controlling cargo through deception, misrepresentation, impersonation, false pretenses, or identity fraud, and clarifies that such theft is punishable as regular theft. The bill defines key terms like "broker" (someone arranging transportation for payment), "freight" (cargo transported by commercial vehicle or railroad), and "motor carrier" (an authorized property transporter). It allows reporting parties, such as motor carriers, brokers, shippers, or insurers, to file a police report for fraudulent freight theft even without physical force or unlawful entry, and specifies the information required for such a report, including details about the parties involved, the freight, vehicle and carrier information, and any fraud indicators. The bill also mandates that law enforcement agencies accept and document these reports, assign a case number, and enter the incident into crime databases, and recognizes these reports as official theft reports for insurance and civil recovery purposes, without preventing civil remedies.