The same federal laws protecting holiday packages delivered by the U.S. Postal Service from theft don’t apply to those shipped through Amazon, UPS or another private carrier. A bipartisan group of U.S. House members wants to rein in so-called porch pirates.
Led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), the lawmakers would make package theft a federal crime no matter who delivered the presents, instead of protecting just those delivered by one’s friendly mail carrier.
“It shouldn’t matter who delivers your package,” Gottheimer stated. “If you paid for it, you should receive it and get help when you don’t. We can’t let the holidays be snatched away from us in broad daylight by a bunch of porch pirates.”
Crooks have stolen 104 million packages so far this year, costing Americans an estimated $16 billion, according to statistics that Gottheimer’s office shared.
“There’s a literal Grinch that tears through neighborhoods, stealing away Christmas presents and essentials from grandparents and children alike—right off their own front porch,” Gottheimer stated.
“We will fight to ensure gifts stay right where they belong: with the families who work hard to buy them, with the loved ones they thought of when they paid for them, and within the homes celebrating their faith, love and family together this holiday season,” he stated.
Introduced on Dec. 23, the bill would impose federal penalties, including up to 10 years in prison, for those convicted of stealing packages, give federal law enforcement the authority to investigate package thefts no matter who delivered the presents and make it clear that delivered packages—not only those in transit—would be covered by the new law.
“The Porch Pirates Act closes a loophole in federal law and ensures criminals who steal packages delivered by private or commercial carriers are held accountable,” stated co-sponsor Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas).
Also sponsoring the bill are Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.).
“The more that we rely on mail-order delivery, the more we must rely on this type of legislation to deter thieves, ensure accountability and provide safety and security for our communities,” Panetta said.
