Arizona Family's Recycling Scheme Nets $7.6 Million, Prosecutors Allege

A family in Southern California is facing felony charges for allegedly defrauding the state of California by importing used bottles and cans from Arizona and recycling them in California. The family earned $7.6 million from the recycling operation, according to prosecutors. Investigators recovered over $1 million worth of illegally imported beverage containers. The accused family members are charged with unlawfully conspiring to commit grand theft and defrauding the California recycling program. If convicted, they could face several years in prison. This is not the first case of recycling fraud in California, with at least 93 people convicted between 2010 and 2019.