1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to public safety; establishing the crime of organized retail theft;proposing 
1.3 	coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 609.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. [609.522] ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT.
1.6 		Subdivision 1.Organized retail theft. Whoever does any of the following commits 
1.7 	organized retail theft and may be sentenced as provided in subdivision 2:
1.8 	(1) steals retail merchandise from a retail merchant and resells that merchandise;
1.9 	(2) steals retail merchandise from a retail merchant and advertises or displays that 
1.10 	merchandise for sale;
1.11 	(3) steals retail merchandise from a retail merchant and returns that merchandise to a 
1.12 	retail merchant for anything of value;
1.13 	(4) receives, purchases, or possesses retail merchandise knowing or having reason to 
1.14 	know the property was stolen from a retail merchant and with the intent to resell that 
1.15 	merchandise;
1.16 	(5) aids, advises, hires, counsels, or conspires with another to commit an offense under 
1.17 	this section; or
1.18 	(6) steals retail merchandise from a retail merchant within ten years of a conviction 
1.19 	under this section.
1.20 		Subd. 2.Sentence. Whoever commits organized retail theft may be sentenced as follows:
2.1 	(1) to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than 
2.2 	$35,000, or both, if the value of the property stolen exceeds $5,000;
2.3 	(2) to imprisonment for not more than seven years or to payment of a fine of not more 
2.4 	than $14,000, or both, if either of the following circumstances exist:
2.5 	(i) the value of the property stolen is more than $1,000 but not more than $5,000; or
2.6 	(ii) the person commits the offense within ten years of the first of two or more convictions 
2.7 	under this section;
2.8 	(3) to imprisonment for not more than two years or to payment of a fine of not more 
2.9 	than $5,000, or both, if either of the following circumstances exist:
2.10 	(i) the value of the property stolen is more than $500 but not more than $1,000; or
2.11 	(ii) the person commits the offense within ten years of a previous conviction under this 
2.12 	section; or
2.13 	(4) to imprisonment of not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than 
2.14 	$3,000, or both, if the value of the property stolen is $500 or less.

2.15 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2019, and applies to crimes 
2.16 	committed on or after that date.