VIDEO RELEASE: After Revolutionizing Organized Retail Theft Investigations in Florida, Senator Moody Urges Changes to Federal Law to Stop Rampant Retail Crime Nationwide

Jul 15, 2025

Click image above to view SenatorMoody’s remarks
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Ashley Moody brought years ofexperience revolutionizing how state and local law enforcement investigateorganized retail theft to Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on thematter. As Attorney General, Moody, utilized emerging technology, forged novelpartnerships and pushed for changes to state law to crackdown on massive retailcrime rings. Unfortunately, many poorly ran states and cities refuse to usetheir executive authority to prosecute organized retail theft leading to oncebeautiful cities resembling third-world countries. In the hearing, SenatorMoody pushed legislation to give federal prosecutors the tools to targettransnational organized retail theft rings to protect Americans.

Senator Ashley Moodysaid, “While most of the countrywatched mobs storm L.A. stores and crime rings boldly target major retailers,Florida dug in, utilizing new technology, forging novel partnerships andstrengthening state laws to make sure organized retail crime did not get afoothold in Florida. It is time to bring the Florida approach to the federalgovernment to stop organized retail crime, protect consumers and keep priceslow for hardworking Americans especially as weak state leaders fail to enforcethe law.”

See Senator Moody’s full remarkshere.

As Florida’s Attorney General, SenatorMoody:

Launched the Florida Organized RetailCrime Exchange orFORCEwith the Florida Retailers Federation. FORCE is afirst-of-its-kind statewide task force and interactive database used to helppeople spot trends, identify suspects, and take down massive ORT rings, and thedatabase helps bridge the gap between retailers, law enforcement, andprosecutors by providing shareable, searchable information on incidents oftheft statewide

Partnered with legislators in 2022 toannounce legislative efforts to help law enforcement and prosecutors dismantleORTrings

Fought for HB 549 in an effort toenhance penalties for theft by offenders with previous convictions, as well asincreases the aggregate period for third-degree felony retailtheft

Notable Organized Retail Theft Cases:

-Jan 2025: AG Moody’s StatewideProsecutors Charge Five Crime Ring Members for Stealing More Than $400,000 inOrganized Retail TheftScheme

-April 2024: AG Moody Announces Arrestof Five Members of Organized Retail TheftRing

-Feb 2024: Attorney General Moody FilesCriminal Charges Against Three Thieves Operating Retail Theft Ring StealingMore Than$100,000

-Nov 2023: AG Moody’s Office ofStatewide Prosecution Secures Eight-Year Sentence and $500,000 RestitutionOrder for ORTRingleader

-Oct 2023: Attorney General Moody’sStatewide Prosecutors File Criminal Charges Against 14 South Florida RetailThieves for Causing $20 Million inLosses

-Oct 2023: AG Moody’s StatewideProsecutors Secure Seven-Year Sentence and $300,000 Restitution Order forLeader of an Organized Retail Theft Ring Dealing in Stolen TVs fromWalmart

-Aug 2023: Another Retail Theft RingShut Down by AG Moody’s FORCETaskforce

-Apr 2023: Organized Retail Theft RingSpanning 16Counties

During Moody’stime as Attorney General, her office securedconvictionsagainst more than 260 members of thesemassive crime rings.

###

Copyright 2024