This bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 609.522, to include gift card fraud as part of organized retail theft. It introduces new definitions for "closed-loop gift card," "gift card," and "open-loop gift card," which clarify the types of gift cards that are relevant to the law. Additionally, the bill specifies that the economic loss from a gift card theft can be assessed based on its full monetary face value or potential value for variable-load gift cards. The amendments also expand the definition of organized retail theft to include actions such as tampering with stolen merchandise or its packaging to obtain value from retailers or customers.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the criteria for what constitutes organized retail theft by detailing the actions that individuals associated with a retail theft enterprise can take, including reselling stolen merchandise or advertising it for sale. The effective date for these changes is set for August 1, 2026, applying to crimes committed on or after that date. Overall, the bill aims to strengthen the legal framework surrounding organized retail theft by incorporating gift card fraud and clarifying the definitions and actions associated with such crimes.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 609.522
1st Engrossment: 609.522