The California Department of Justice, along with other law enforcement agencies, made more than a dozen arrests of individuals involved in illegally selling containers in the state. The arrests were made late last week. This is the third case of recycling related fraud that the various California agencies have been working on. This investigation, which is ongoing, has been in place for a year. There were 10 law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, including the state’s Bureau of Investigation. If convicted of the charge those arrested could face up to 8 years in prison. All the charges are felony charges.
At the present time 14 people have been arrested, with four others agreeing to turn themselves in. One person has yet to be heard from.
A source with the Los Angeles County Prosecuters Office said at the present time no recycling centers are included with this most recent arrests.
According to the a spokesman for the California Department of Conservation, the parties arrested have been accused of shipping containers from outside California to the state where they were sold at redemption centers. Charges that are expected to be filed include: conspiracy to commit recycling fraud, grand theft, and unlawful recycling.
According to one source, the 14 arrested purchased aluminum cans in bordering states where a recycling deposit was not required. The collected cans were then shipped to California where the parties redeemed the cans for the deposit money. Californians are required to pay a deposit of $.025 for containers less than 24 ounces, and $.05 for those larger than 24 ounces.
In this third case the arrested parties were delivering the material to redemption centers throughout Los Angeles County.