Organized retail theft rings are spiking in New York and across the country. This issue inflicts enormous damage on small business, threatens the safety of our communities and diminishes the moral value of our society. At a press conference at the Galleria at Crystal Run in the Town of Wallkill on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase its efforts to combat organized retail theft.

In his remarks, Sen. Schumer explained how the RICO Act can be used by federal prosecutors to deter organized retail theft rings from committing their crimes. The RICO Act is a federal law that provides tools to the DOJ to investigate and prosecute criminal organizations engaged in racketeering. The act has been used to successfully prosecute organized crime rings that have operated in New York and across the country.

Schumer noted that the number of arrests for larceny in 2023 in the Town of Wallkill was 23 percent higher than the previous year, demonstrating the steep rise in organized retail theft in the area. The RICO Act can provide the DOJ with the additional resources necessary to address this growing problem and bring justice to those victimized by organized retail theft, Schumer said.

“Organized retail crime rings are spiking in New York and other communities across the country," Schumer said. "It goes way beyond shoplifting – these are large-scale, organized theft operations stealing tens of thousands from local businesses here in the Hudson Valley and across the state and it has to stop. That’s why I’m launching my push to get the DOJ to step up their efforts against these crimes, and use the RICO Act, which helped curtail the mafia, to stop these organizations in their tracks."

Also on hand was U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, D-Gardiner. “We need to support local law enforcement to keep Hudson Valley families safe and hold criminals accountable. I’m proud to join Senator Schumer to bring to bear the full force of the federal government to crack down on organized retail crime rings,” Ryan said. “We owe it to retail workers, customers and law enforcement to give them the tools needed to do their jobs safely. Pushing DOJ to utilize the RICO Act to hold these kingpins accountable will do exactly that.”