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Lawmakers press stiffer penalties for package theft, counterfeit leases and squatting after widespread complaints
Summary
Delegates introduced several bills raising fines and felony penalties for porch piracy and online‑facilitated squatting, and sought increased victim notifications; proponents said online services sell fake leases and enable repeated occupations, opponents warned of criminalizing victims and urged focus on platform accountability.
A cluster of bills introduced to the House Judiciary Committee would strengthen penalties and court tools for package theft, false lease schemes and squatting after witnesses described repeated incidents that fall into a commercialized fraud network.
Delegate Conaway described multiple bills that together would elevate some package‑theft offenses to felonies (maximums up to five years), increase fines (for example, raising a misdemeanor fine from $15 to $500 for taking but…
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