CalRecycle arrests Los Angeles truck driver on charges of attempted grand theft and felony recycling fraud

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has announced the arrest of a Los Angeles truck driver on charges of attempted grand theft and felony recycling fraud. The arrest marks the second time in three months that a driver operating a New Evolution Trucking vehicle has been caught illegally transporting used beverage containers into California from Nevada in an attempt to defraud the California Redemption Value Fund, the agency says.

“CalRecycle’s enforcement partners with the California Department of Justice, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) continue to ratchet up the pressure on these organized recycling fraud rings,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline says. “With each bust, our investigators learn more about these criminal enterprises, and they will continue to face the consequences of their actions.”

On Feb. 16, 2016, agents with the California Department of Justice’s Recycling Fraud Team conducted an investigation into a North Las Vegas storage yard with a history of trafficking used beverage containers into California. At 4:25 p.m., agents observed a white semitruck labeled “New Evolution Trucking” enter the storage yard. The truck and trucking company had been known to illegally transport used beverage containers in the past, CalRecycle says. Agents followed the truck as it departed at 10:42 p.m. and requested assistance from CHP after the driver took a route which would avoid the CDFA border checkpoint in Yermo.

Carlos Flores, 36, of Los Angeles was stopped off I-15 in Barstow at 2:20 a.m. Feb. 17. Flores stated he did not have the bill of lading or Imported Material Report required to transport used beverage containers into California. He was arrested, and his 53-foot tractor-trailer was impounded. A subsequent check of the materials inside revealed 7,260 pounds of aluminum and 3,360 pounds of plastic used beverage containers with a potential California Redemption Value of $15,464. Flores was released on his own recognizance and is awaiting arraignment at the San Bernardino County Superior Court.

CDOJ investigates and prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of CalRecycle, which has administrative authority over the state’s beverage container recycling program. In addition to CalRecycle’s interagency agreements with CDOJ and CDFA, CalRecycle combats fraud and illicit payments through precertification training of recycling center owners; probationary reviews of recycling centers; oversight of certified processors; monitoring and tracking of imported materials; risk assessment of daily claims for reimbursement; application of prepayment controls; and postpayment reviews and investigations.