SPRINGFIELD – To support retailers, update prosecuting resources and promote statewide economic growth, the governor signed a measure into law Friday led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton to curb organized retail crime and hold ringleaders accountable.

“Organized retail crimes across the state have disturbed residents, wreaked havoc on businesses and stunted growth within local economies,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “By advancing the Organized Retail Crime Act, Illinois is enacting one of the most comprehensive crime-curbing efforts in the nation.”

In partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Illinois Attorney General, Glowiak Hilton’s law codifies organized retail crime into statute as the theft of retail merchandise with the intent to sell.

Under the law, prosecutors have new opportunities to bring charges against ringleaders regardless of where the crimes takes place. For example, if the conspiracy, theft and selling occurred in different jurisdictions, each jurisdiction now has the ability to prosecute the entire crime. The attorney general can also prosecute via a statewide grand jury.

“The law targets individuals stealing for profit, not anyone engaging in petty shoplifting,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Deterring retail crime starts with supporting law enforcement, holding ringleaders responsible and making it tougher to resell stolen goods.”

To prevent stolen goods from being sold online, the law also creates the Integrity, Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act, or the INFORM Act, to require third-party sellers to verify users’ identity with bank account numbers or other personal identifying information. Sellers who do not comply may be suspended.

Filed under House Bill 1091, most provisions in the new law take immediate effect, but the INFORM Act is effective Jan. 1, 2023.