A suspect was arrested for allegedly stealing over $4.3 million from the California Recycling Fund.
The suspect, who was not identified, had fled the U.S. and remained on the run since March 2022, according to the California Attorney General’s Office.
The suspect is believed to be the head of a large-scale, multistate recycling fraud ring, officials said.
The suspect would “control the gathering of empty beverage containers from out of state and then work with accomplices to bring them into California to collect money from the California Recycling Fund,” according to court documents.
Through this method, the suspect was able to collect over $4.3 million dollars.
On March 16, 2022, the suspect was charged in L.A. County with grand theft, conspiracy, and the illegal importation of out-of-state empty beverage containers. A warrant was issued for their arrest before the suspect fled the U.S.
Agents from the Department of Justice continued tracking the suspect’s location and discovered they planned to return to Arizona in December 2023.
DOJ agents, along with Arizona and federal law enforcement, worked together to arrest the suspect who arrived at the Phoenix International Airport. They were booked into a Phoenix Police Department jail and are awaiting extradition to California for prosecution.
The DOJ’s Recycle Fraud Team aims to stop “existing fraud by organized criminal groups against the California Redemption Value fund and to deter future fraud through the successful prosecution of criminal activity.”
“Special Agents work throughout California and in neighboring states, investigating organizations that commit large-scale fraud against California’s extremely important recycling program,” the attorney general’s office said.