On January 14, Metro One hosted its first Retail Collaboration and Networking event in New York City at Morton’s The Steakhouse. The 2025 event theme was ORC, and it consisted of several sessions followed by cocktail hour and dinner/drinks. Robert “Bob” Caruso and Frank Camerino opened the afternoon sessions, hoping everyone had the “opportunity to learn something new, meet new people, and close out the day with a good meal.” The LPF had the opportunity to attend along with retailers, various levels of law enforcement, other industry partners, the local METRORCA, and the Metro One team.
Diego Rodriguez, former FBI assistant director in charge and new chief security officer for Metro One, kicked off the day by discussing the FBI’s Organized Theft Program. During this session, Diego discussed the Transnational Organized Crime Branch (TOC) and the various divisions, branches, and task forces/squads that made up the team. The major theft task force holds offices across the US and handles cases ranging from cargo theft to oil and gas theft and almost everything in between. No pun intended—he painted an eye-opening picture of international art theft. Diego concluded his session by discussing South American theft groups (SATGs), their travel methods, and the techniques they use to steal. This session reinforced that we are all “stronger together than we are divided” and should not “underestimate the networking available within the room.”
The afternoon continued with an engaging session by Ben Dugan, CFI, the executive director of ORC and central investigations at CVS Health and president of CLEAR. Ben opened his session by acknowledging that some of the leading experts in the field and best investigators were in the room, so what did he have to talk about? He decided to share his journey and made the entire room erupt at a joke about his age, referencing his experience. After a brief recap of the first documented case of ORC and where it began, the MS-13 case, Ben discussed the evolution of ORC and the highlights during each period (image below).
It was truly eye-opening to see ORC documented in a way I never had before and the impact of the risks and responses during each phase. Ben then took the time to discuss retail theft levels vs. the ORC severity levels. The below graphic highlights the various thresholds and impacts a group can have on a retailer. This session closed out with a review of the hierarchy of major ORC organizations, recent cases at CVS Health, and the impact of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) on retailers.
The last session of the afternoon was a panel session discussing ORC with Margie Manto, vice president of client operations for the Northeastern region at Metro One, Kelly Hansen, an AP director at Macy’s, and Amanda Hobert, CFI, regional loss prevention director at Sephora. The round-robin of questions included what you would tell someone starting out in their career. Kelly rang in the theme of the day that building trust and respect is the key to being successful, and that you cannot overvalue partnerships. Another interesting question was, “Should consumers bear responsibility for unknowingly buying stolen goods?” Amanda answered by saying that it depended on their awareness and that it is the retailer’s responsibility to educate them on the impacts of inflation. One of the panelists stated that if you buy something for half the normal price, that is a red flag right there. The rest of the panel discussed trends, safety, sharing what processes and tools are effective, and the balance of letting things go.
Throughout the afternoon, during breaks, attendees had the chance to connect with others in the industry. At the end of the day, we sat down for dinner at The Morton’s Steakhouse and shared laughs, stories, and experiences and fostered meaningful connections. The day was a huge success, and the attendees walked away with increased knowledge, new connections, and a full stomach.
To find out more about Metro One, please visit their website at metroonelpsg.com.
Julie Lawson is a seasoned professional in retail loss prevention and solution development, with over 17 years of experience in the industry. With a strong background in asset protection, ORC, safety, risk management, supply chain, and operations, she has established herself as a trusted advisor known for her detail-oriented approach and deep industry expertise.
In her role at the Loss Prevention Foundation (LPF), Julie is focused on strengthening relationships with retail partners, solution providers, and industry stakeholders to drive innovation and collaboration. She is passionate about education throughout the LP industry. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas and an MBA from West Texas A&M University.
