Up To 30 Years in Jail for Shoplifting Under New DeSantis Law

JailPhoto bySaad ChaudhryonUnsplash

Governor DeSantis signed a new bill into law which will increase the penalties for shoplifting. "Under the new law, people convicted of stealing as part of a group of five or more people could be sentenced to five years in prison. That goes up to 15 years if social media is used to recruit people to the group. If it’s someone’s third conviction or they use a gun, the prison term could be 30 years."

Lawmakers in other states have reservations about the concept. Although shoplifting has affected 83% of businesses across the country, some lawmakers are concerned it could have unintended repercussions on younger miscreants that shoplift once and may face draconian consequences as a result.

The law in intended to address the recent spate of "gang or group shoplifting" which, in some cases, nets thousands of dollars in stolen goods.

The new law, which goes into effect on October 1st, is also targeted at "porch pirates" who steal some of the countless packages left at peoples homes every day by delivery services such as Amazon. Jail, probation, and a thousand dollar fine are all possible for that crime.