New California Law Boosts Penalties for Retail Theft Resellers

Included in the package of retail-theft bills that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last week was a Senate bill aimed at deterring criminals who resell stolen goods. Senate Bill 1416 was authored by Democrat Sen. Josh Newman and creates new sentencing enhancements until January 2030 for those convicted of selling, exchanging, or returning stolen property if the value of such items exceeds $50,000. Sentence enhancements can increase based on the value of the stolen item. For example, if the stolen property is estimated at $50,000, the offender may face an additional one-year punishment prescribed by the court. For property values that exceed $3 million, up to four years may be added....