Note: this release was initially published last Friday, April 19th. It has only been altered?to indicate the day of the announcement.?

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LANSING ? Last Friday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a partnership between the FORCE Team and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) to tackle organized retail crimes that leverage the postal system to conduct their illegal enterprises.??

?This groundbreaking partnership with the United States Postal Inspection Service comes as recognition of our efforts in the State and also significantly expands our capacity to combat organized retail crime here in Michigan,? Nessel said. ?The addition of a U.S. postal inspector to the FORCE Team allows us to quickly analyze how the postal service is exploited as a supply chain for black-market and counterfeit products across the country. The FORCE Team continues to blaze a path of success in this burgeoning criminal field, and we are proud to set an example for retail crime units nationwide.? ?

The FORCE Team now includes a U.S. postal inspector alongside two assistant attorneys general, Michigan State Police detectives, special agents from the Department of Attorney General?s Criminal Investigations Division, and a special agent from the FBI?s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force.???

?Postal Inspectors are dedicated to safeguarding the well-being and security of the American public, with a particular focus on protecting our citizens from fraudulent schemes,? said Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins, USPIS Detroit Division. ?As criminal organizations and individuals become increasingly sophisticated in their activities, a partnership with other law enforcement stakeholders will increase the resources to combat and apprehend these financial predators.??

The FORCE Team and the Organized Retail Crime Unit were established in 2023 by the Attorney General to target criminal organizations that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit. This is a first-in-the-nation unit, unique in the 50 states as being the first such unit with embedded, dedicated staff from the Department of Attorney General.??

The FORCE Team is dedicated to working collaboratively with retailers and local law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail crime. Recent corporate partners on investigations have included Sam?s Club/Walmart, Meijer, Target, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, Rite-Aid, Lululemon, Ulta, and Lowe?s. Local law enforcement agencies or retailers with evidence of organized retail fraud are encouraged to email the FORCE Team.?

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