The House of Representatives passed the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA) this week, following unanimous approval by the Judiciary Committee in January. The bill aims to give federal prosecutors new tools to address organized retail crime that crosses state lines and involves online marketplaces and illicit financial networks.
Supporters say CORCA is important because it addresses crimes that have grown beyond the reach of individual states. By modernizing Title 18 of the U.S. Code, CORCA extends interstate-transport theft statutes to include those using online platforms, allows aggregation of smaller thefts totaling $5,000 or more over a year into single federal cases, and adds cargo and stolen-goods offenses to federal money-laundering laws.
The legislation also directs the Department of Homeland Security to create an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations. This center will coordinate efforts among federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal agencies for intelligence sharing and case coordination.
Routine retail theft remains under state jurisdiction. “Routine retail theft (i.e., the individual shoplifter or the local smash-and-grab) is a state and local matter, and it should stay that way,” according to the release. The bill focuses on large-scale operations where goods are stolen in one state, moved through others via online sellers or resellers, with proceeds routed offshore—cases considered beyond what any single state’s law enforcement can manage alone.
Cargo theft losses in the United States and Canada reached nearly $725 million in 2025—a 60 percent increase from 2024—with average value per incident rising as well. These crimes often involve identity theft and cyber-enabled logistics manipulation rather than opportunistic acts by individuals.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said before the Senate Judiciary Committee in July 2025 that prosecutors “have not been able to break through to what is going on nationally.” A letter from the National District Attorneys Association supported creating a framework so prosecutors could “connect the dots and track the entire criminal syndicate from ground level booster to fences and criminal heads.”
With House passage complete, attention turns now to Senate consideration of H.R.2853. If enacted into law with its proposed oversight requirements—including annual reporting—the next steps would be staffing up at Homeland Security Investigations’ new center while building interagency partnerships.
