On May 12, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a landmark piece of bipartisan legislation that directly addresses one of the most pressing threats facing American retailers and supply chain professionals today. H.R. 2853, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA),1 cleared the House with broad support from both parties and now moves to the Senate for consideration before heading to the President’s desk. For those of us in the logistics and supply chain world, this is a development worth supporting and watching closely.
The Problem: Theft Has Become a Sophisticated Criminal Enterprise
It would be easy to dismiss retail theft as a rare but manageable nuisance with the occasional load or warehouse break-in. The reality, however, tells a much more alarming story. Over the past several years, organized criminal networks have transformed retail and cargo theft into a high-volume, high-tech, and often transnational enterprise that threatens the entire supply chain ecosystem.
According to the National Retail Federation, retail larceny incidents surged 93% between 2019 and 2023, and stores reported losses of $121.6 billion to retail theft in 2023 alone.2
These aren’t isolated incidents carried out by individuals. They are coordinated operations run by organized criminal groups who steal goods at scale and quickly move them through physical and online resale markets. The profits fuel broader criminal activity, creating a dangerous cycle that goes well beyond the store floor.
The supply chain itself faces equally serious threats. CargoNet reported a 27% increase in cargo theft incidents in 2024 compared to 2023, and the problem has grown in both frequency and sophistication. They also advise the average value per theft rose to $202,364, up from $187,895 in 2023.3 The American Transportation Research Institute calculated that cargo theft now costs the trucking industry over $18 million every single day.4 Major U.S. railroads reported more than 75,000 theft incidents in 2025, resulting in over $200 million in losses, a more than 50% increase year-over-year.5 Meanwhile, a particularly alarming category known as strategic theft, which uses deception, identity fraud, and falsified documentation to divert entire shipments, has surged 1,500% since 2021, according to CargoNet.6
The criminal networks behind these activities frequently operate across state lines and international borders, exploiting gaps in federal jurisdiction and inter-agency coordination. Only about one in ten cargo theft attempts leads to an arrest,7 leaving industry players to absorb enormous losses with limited legal recourse.
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act explained
The CORCA Act responds directly to these escalating threats by strengthening the federal government’s ability to investigate, prosecute, and dismantle organized theft operations. The bill builds on previous legislative efforts, including the Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act, which was introduced in the 118th Congress by Representatives David Valadao (CA-22) and Brad Schneider (IL-10).8
| Provision | What it does |
|---|---|
| Criminal Forfeiture Expansion | Allows asset seizure upon conviction for interstate shipment, transportation, or sale of stolen goods |
| Expanded Money Laundering Statutes | Closes legal loopholes that organized theft rings exploit to launder criminal proceeds |
| Interstate & Foreign Commerce Prosecution | Enables federal prosecution of organized groups that use interstate or foreign commerce to facilitate crimes |
| National Coordination Center | Mandates creation of the Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and DHS |
The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support. Its lead sponsors include Representatives Dave Joyce (OH-14), Susie Lee (NV-03), David Valadao (CA-22), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Dina Titus (NV-01), Laurel Lee (FL-15), Lou Correa (CA-46), and Michael Baumgartner (WA-05). By the time it passed the House, approximately half of all House members had signed on as cosponsors. This is a remarkable indicator of how widely lawmakers recognize this threat across all party lines.
Industry Response: Coalitions All in Full Agreement
It is rare for trade associations spanning retail, trucking, and railroads to align so publicly all behind a single piece of legislation. CORCA managed exactly that, and the reaction following the House vote reflects just how urgently these industries have needed federal action.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) played a direct role in pushing the bill forward over several years. ATA President and CEO Chris Spear testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee and met personally with bill sponsors and congressional leadership to build support. Following passage, Spear called it “a pivotal moment in ATA’s fight to protect drivers, freight, and the integrity of our supply chain.”9
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) echoed that enthusiasm. AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies noted that the legislation benefits “every business, worker, and consumer who depends on the reliable and affordable movement of goods across America,”10 and stressed that organized cargo theft raises costs across the entire supply chain, from carriers to manufacturers to end consumers. AAR also made clear that the Senate needs to act quickly, calling on lawmakers to pass CORCA without delay.
Q&A: What You Need to Know About CORCA
CORCA expands existing legal frameworks, particularly around criminal forfeiture and money laundering statutes. This gives prosecutors more powerful tools when pursuing organized theft rings. It also creates a new federal coordination center to improve information-sharing.
Directly, through the new national coordination center. For the first time, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies will have a dedicated mechanism to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement against bad actors. For small businesses that currently have little recourse when cargo disappears or inventory is stolen, better-coordinated law enforcement could meaningfully improve recovery speed, and how swiftly stolen freight is located to deter future theft.
Strategic theft refers to unethical schemes where criminals use identity fraud, falsified documentation, and deceptive communication to impersonate legitimate freight brokers or carriers and reroute shipments to illicit receivers.
Yes, indirectly. By enabling prosecution of organized groups that use interstate commerce to facilitate crimes, CORCA covers operations that move stolen goods through both physical and online resale channels.
Citations:
- U.S. Congress. (2025). H.R. 2853—Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025, 119th Congress (2025–2026). Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2853 ↩︎
- National Retail Federation. (2024, December 17). Shoplifting incidents jump 93% since pre-COVID, according to new industry study. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/shoplifting-incidents-jump-93-since-pre-covid-according-to-new-industry-study ↩︎
- CargoNet. (2025, January 21). 2024 supply chain risk trends analysis: Cargo theft surges to record levels in 2024, CargoNet analysis reveals. https://www.cargonet.com/news-and-events/cargonet-in-the-media/2024-theft-trends/ ↩︎
- Ma, J. (2026, March 30). Cargo theft costs U.S. trucking industry $18 million a day and is ‘unlike anything our industry has faced before,’ logistics exec warns. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2026/03/30/cargo-theft-cost-us-trucking-industry-logistics-supply-chain-risks/ ↩︎
- Association of American Railroads. (n.d.). CORCA: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. https://www.aar.org/issue/corca/ ↩︎
- American Trucking Associations. (2025, June 20). Freight under fire: The explosive rise of cargo theft. https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/freight-under-fire-explosive-rise-cargo-theft ↩︎
- Association of American Railroads. (n.d.). CORCA | Combating organized retail and cargo theft. https://www.aar.org/issue/corca/ ↩︎
- U.S. Congress. (2024). H.R. 8834—Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act, 118th Congress (2023–2024). Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8834 ↩︎
- PR Newswire. (2026, May 12). Cargo theft bill championed by trucking industry passes House. Yahoo Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cargo-theft-bill-championed-trucking-232100873.html ↩︎
- Association of American Railroads. (2026, May 12). AAR applauds House passage of CORCA, urges swift Senate action on organized cargo theft. https://www.aar.org/news/aar-applauds-house-passage-of-corca-urges-swift-senate-action-on-organized-cargo-theft/ ↩︎
