The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts recently hosted the 2025 Berkshire County Organized Retail and Financial Crimes Workshop. The event brought together more than two hundred professionals from both the criminal justice system and the private sector. Attendees represented agencies and organizations from New England and New York, all focused on combating organized retail and financial crimes in the region. The workshop began by highlighting Massachusetts-specific case successes related to state legislation and concluded with a national overview of these crimes and proposed federal legislation aimed at addressing modern threats.
James Hall, organized retail crime and financial fraud specialist for the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, opened the event by introducing the first speaker, Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, who has committed to protecting the region’s businesses and financial institutions. Massachusetts suffers annual losses exceeding one billion dollars due to organized retail theft.
The New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN) staff then provided a brief overview of the tools and resources available to criminal justice partners, including investigative support, partnerships, and information sharing, to help combat these crimes.
Kelly Kemp, the second assistant district attorney for the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, presented on how Western Massachusetts is tackling current organized retail and financial crimes.
Ryan Kearney, general counsel for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, discussed two important pieces of proposed legislation in Massachusetts. The first is House Bill H1611, titled “An Act Relative to Gift Card Fraud,” which seeks to establish penalties for crimes involving gift cards. The second is Senate Bill S.1209, “An Act Relative to Gift Card Tampering,” aimed at amending existing laws to set penalties for tampering with, stealing, or fraudulently altering gift cards.
Dave Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations at the National Retail Federation (NRF), provided a national perspective on federal legislative efforts. He emphasized NRF’s strong support for the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025, which would create an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center. This Center would align resources, expertise, and efforts across local, state, federal, and private sector partners, facilitating better information sharing and more coordinated investigations and prosecutions.
Ben Dugan, executive director of Central Investigations for CVS Health and president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR), offered a comprehensive threat assessment on organized retail crime. His assessment highlighted a range of criminal activities, from local smash-and-grab groups targeting high-value items like jewelry and clothing (with losses between $5,000 and $100,000) to national criminal organizations that control pricing and disrupt supply chains. These groups generally target non-violent thefts of over-the-counter medicines, razor blades, and health and beauty products, causing losses of $10 million to $200 million per case. Dugan also highlighted the CLEAR Conference, an event offering resources for agencies seeking to address supply chain disruptions, scheduled for October 20–23, 2025 in Orlando.
The workshop concluded with remarks from Mark Solomon, president of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI), who discussed the challenges faced by financial institutions in combating modern technologies like deepfake videos. He also provided countermeasures to help detect fraud. Solomon highlighted the 2025 IAFCI International Training Conference & Exhibitor Show, an event designed to help agencies keep pace with modern financial crime threats, scheduled for August 25–29, 2025, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office partnered with the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN), the Middle Atlantic Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN), the New England Organized Retail Crime Alliance (NEORCA), the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail (CLEAR), and the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI).
This event was also made possible by sponsorship from the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, Samel’s Deli and Catering, Ahold Delhaize (Stop and Shop/Hannaford’s), and the Berkshire County Sheriffs’ Charitable Foundation Inc.
