A new bill moving through the Ohio Statehouse would punish shoplifters more harshly simply for having company. House Bill 615 would create the crime of group retail theft, ratcheting up felony charges based on how many people take part in a coordinated theft, even when each individual walks out with relatively little merchandise.
The bill, sponsored by State Representative Josh Williams, targets coordinated thefts in which groups enter a store, grab merchandise, and leave together, according to cleveland.com. Under current Ohio law, theft valued at $1,000 or more is a fifth-degree felony regardless of how many people are involved, while theft under $1,000 is a first-degree misdemeanor. HB 615 would keep the fifth-degree felony tier for two to four people stealing at least $1,000 combined, but push things further from there: five to ten people stealing at least $1,000 would face a third-degree felony with a presumption of prison time, and eleven or more people stealing at least $5,000 would face a second-degree felony, also with a presumption of prison time.
Those aren't small distinctions. Under Ohio's felony sentencing structure, a fifth-degree felony carries six to 12 months in prison and up to a $2,500 fine, according to the Joslyn Law Firm. A third-degree felony jumps to nine to 36 months and a $10,000 fine, while a second-degree felony carries two to eight years and a $15,000 fine.
Why Group Size Became the Trigger
Williams borrowed the five-person threshold from an unlikely source: Ohio's aggravated riot statute, which sets the same headcount for escalating riot charges under Ohio Revised Code Section 2917.02. He said the bill addresses situations where large groups collectively steal thousands of dollars while each individual participant takes relatively little. In one example, Williams described a scenario where 20 to 30 people each stealing items worth $100 to $150 could otherwise leave every person facing only a minor theft charge, according to cleveland.com's reporting.
Williams said coordinated thefts warrant a stronger response than what current law provides, and argued enhanced penalties are intended to prevent organized retail theft rather than simply punish it after the fact. He also said Ohio will not tolerate organized retail crime, and pointed to the state's existing pattern-of-corrupt-activity laws as another tool that can be used against people who repeatedly commit qualifying theft offenses.
Built On Last Year's FORCE Act
HB 615 is not Ohio's first swing at retail theft this legislative cycle. House Bill 366, known as the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act, was signed by Governor Mike DeWine and took effect in April 2025 after being introduced by Representative Haraz Ghanbari and Senator George Lang, per the Ohio Attorney General. That law established a statewide organized retail theft task force and advisory council within the attorney general's office, and separately created a crime targeting organized theft of at least $7,500 in retail property intended for resale or enterprise purposes.
Rick Carfagna, representing the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, drew the distinction between the two bills, saying HB 615 targets groups conducting theft on store floors while HB 366 targets organized criminal enterprises operating behind the scenes. The chamber has previously reported that 88 percent of businesses surveyed in 2022 agreed that small crimes like shoplifting should not go unchecked, and 62 percent said rising crime had prevented them from expanding.
Ohio's task force infrastructure under HB 366 has already produced results. Hoodline previously reported that Franklin County launched its own task force in central Ohio in early August, and earlier this month a statewide crackdown during Organized Retail Crime Blitz Week resulted in charges against 46 suspects and the recovery of more than $10,000 in stolen merchandise, according to the Ohio Attorney General.
Not Everyone Is Convinced
The bill has received two hearings in the House Small Business Committee so far. Democratic Representative Terrence Upchurch, a joint sponsor with Williams on a separate bill, House Bill 543, that would create a state grant program to bring grocery stores to underserved communities, has questioned HB 615's reliance on punishment as the primary tool against theft. Williams countered that public awareness campaigns could also help deter theft, suggesting enforcement need not be the only strategy.
The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association has noted that prosecutors may already rely on existing complicity laws when proving that multiple people participated in a theft is difficult, but the association also said HB 615's third- and second-degree felony charges could prove more useful specifically because they carry tougher penalties than what's currently available. The Legislative Service Commission, which analyzes bills for lawmakers, estimated the measure would have minimal fiscal impact on local criminal justice systems.
The commission also reported that Ohio saw an average of 12,211 retail theft incidents involving at least two suspects annually between 2020 and 2024, based on a reporting system that covers law enforcement agencies representing about 81 percent of the state's population. The bill also includes a provision letting merchandise values be combined when stolen by the same person or people from one or more retailers over a rolling 180-day period, closing a gap that currently lets repeat offenders stay under felony thresholds by spreading thefts across different stores or visits.
Organized retail crime is estimated to cost Ohio businesses between $2 billion and $3 billion annually, according to the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, a figure the attorney general's office has cited in describing the scale of the problem the state is trying to address. Whether HB 615 clears its committee and reaches a full House vote remains to be seen, with the bill's fate likely to hinge on how lawmakers weigh tougher sentencing against concerns that stacking felony charges by headcount could sweep in low-level participants alongside organized theft rings.
