The Burbank Leader: CalRecycle hands down $32.6M fine→
/CalRecycle hands down $32.6M fine
State says operator of Burbank facility filed illegal claims for out-of-state containers.
By Alene Tchekmedyian,alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
August 12, 2014 | 5:54 p.m.
The former operator of the city's recycling center, along with an Arizona-based company, owe $32.6 million in restitution to the state after reportedly defrauding the Beverage Container Recycling Program by submitting illegal claims for out-of-state beverage containers, officials said.
For three years up until 2007, Burbank Recycling Inc., owned by Geoff Folsom, reportedly participated in a "highly complex scheme," submitting illegal claims for the out-of-state beverage containers. The items were bought from Mission Fiber Group, an Arizona-based company, which was using a stolen certification number, according to the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, known as CalRecycle.
Folsom, along with Ben Sung, the company's vice president at the time, are challenging the decision in court, citing that they "were found liable for millions of dollars in civil penalties and restitution in a manner that was not supported by the evidence," court records show.
The investigation began in 2007 after the state noticed a large spike in claims filed using the stolen certification number, records show, submitting at one point nearly 50 times more than the company had the year prior — or 11 million pounds of polyethylene terephthalate containers. An administrative law judge affirmed the findings of the CalRecycle investigation.
Mission Fiber had reportedly hired a trucking company to bring used beverage containers to Fontana and Long Beach from across the country and later masked where the containers came from, since it's illegal to redeem out-of-state containers in California. A beverage container purchased in California can be redeemed for 5 cents if it's less than 24 ounces and 10 cents if it's more.
The Arizona-based company then sold the materials to Burbank Recycling, which transferred the proceeds to various Mission Fiber accounts while claiming reimbursement from CalRecycle.
"For us the message here is to those people who would seek to defraud the system," said CalRecycle spokesman Mark Oldfield. "Regardless of how long it takes or complexity of it, we are going to go after people who are going to try to defraud the system."
Together, the two companies and their owners were found liable to pay $32.6 million restitution for the fraudulent claims, along with interest and penalties.
Additionally, Burbank Recycling Inc. had its certification revoked, and Folsom, Sung and the owners of Mission Fiber were barred from the purchase, sale, transfer or storage of CRV beverage containers.
The Burbank Recycle Center now operates under new management.
http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-me-calrecycle-hands-down-fine-20140812,0,7026126.story
Beverly Hills Patch: Beverly Hills Police Arrest 5 in Copper Wire Thefts
/Beverly Hills Police Arrest 5 in Copper Wire Thefts
The following information was supplied by the Beverly Hills Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.
Posted by Matthew Sanderson (Editor) , December 06, 2013 at 03:56 PM
Beverly Hills police took five men into custody early Friday morning stemming from several copper wire thefts over a couple months.
At approximately 1:50 a.m. Friday, a Beverly Hills police officer was on patrol in the area of Rexford Drive and Lomitas Avenue. The officer noticed that the city street lights were out in the immediate area and began checking for criminal activity.
The officer then located and stopped a suspicious vehicle, and the on scene investigation, coupled with evidence inside the vehicle, determined that the five occupants were involved in tampering with electrical street lights and the theft of copper wiring.
They were taken into custody and transported to the Beverly Hills Police Department and booked on numerous theft related charges. They are:
- Michael Padilla, 18, Los Angeles
- Froiln Silva, 18, Los Angeles
- Brian Gomez, 19, Los Angeles
- Horacio Galindo, 18, Los Angeles
- Francisco Martinez, 18, Los Angeles
Due to recent thefts of copper wire occurring in Beverly Hills, the BHPD asks that residents remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity. Call the police if you notice:
- A section of streetlights that goes off suddenly for no apparent reason.
- An open access cover in the sidewalk.
- Workers at night that are not wearing city uniforms and safety gear.
- Workers working at night that are not driving city marked vehicles (Beverly Hills' street light crews have trucks with city shields and are numbered in the 600’s)
Pasadena Star News: Would-be copper theft in Pico Rivera leaves suspect shocked, in critical condition, 20,000 without power
/Would-be copper theft in Pico Rivera leaves suspect shocked, in critical condition, 20,000 without power
An alleged would-be copper thief received a 12,000-volt shock and severe burns while attempting to steal wire from a Southern California Edison breaker station last weekend, authorities said.
Billy Ray Owens, 51, of Whittier was hospitalized in critical condition after he was found unconscious Sunday morning at the utility equipment site in the 9900 block of Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Robert Smith said.
The failed heist also caused a power outage that affected thousands of SCE customers in Pico Rivera and nearby West Whittier for nearly two hours, the lieutenant said.
The outage affected 20,548 SCE customers, SCE spokeswoman Susan Cox said.
An SCE supervisor went to the site to check on an alarm that had been triggered about 4:40 a.m., Smith said.
“When he arrived, he found the suspect semi-conscious, lying on the ground,” Smith said. The suspect, later identified as Owens, suffered severe burns running up his arm.
It was believed Owens was using a pair of bolt cutters which were found nearby to steal copper wiring when he received a 12,000-volt shock, Smith said. He was hospitalized in critical condition.
Burglary charges were expected to be filed when Owens’ condition improves, Smith added.
SCE workers had to de-energize the breaker station for about two hours to allow for the rescue of the injured man and repair of the damaged circuits, officials said. Smith said the incident caused an estimated $45,000 in damage to the SCE site.
All power was restored to affected customers by 6:52 a.m., Cox said. The official cause of the outage remained under investigation by SCE officials.
abc15.com: Auto theft investigation prompts raids across Valley
/Posted: 10/16/2013
PHOENIX - Local and federal law enforcement agencies served search warrants at five locations across the state Wednesday as part of a year-long auto theft investigation.
Air15 video showed Phoenix police and Department of Public Safety officers descending on Hendrix and Co. Recycling near 9th Street and Broadway just after 8 a.m.
Warrants were executed Wednesday morning at several Phoenix locations, as well as in Tucson and Coolidge, Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.
Sources tell ABC15 the warrants are part of the 15-month "Operation Tin Man" investigation across parts of the western United States, involving a wide-spanning auto theft organization and a second ring they call "El Gallo" which focused on stolen construction equipment.
Officials said 14 people have been taken into custody in connection with the case.
Sgt. Tommy Thompson confirmed many of them are members of the Hendrix family which own four of the five businesses raided.
Thompson told ABC15 family members arrested will be charged as a syndicated crime organization.
A family member on scene at Hendrix and Co. Recycling told ABC15 the business was founded by her grandfather more than 70 years ago, they have consistently contributed to the community, and they have no idea why police have served a search warrant.
"We have done everything law abiding and like I said, have helped out the community for many, many years," C. Hendrix said.
According to Captain Bruce Campbell with DPS, the family business was helping out car thieves by giving them a place to dispose of vehicles in a quick manner.
Detectives said luxury cars were typically shipped overseas.
Thompson said Phoenix police and DPS are being assisted by the Pima County Sheriff's Office, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the Glendale and Goodyear police departments, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures.
The operation has reportedly been going on for years, and law enforcement agencies had to pool their resources to effectively bring down the suspects, officials said.
The investigation is ongoing with more arrests expected in the next few days.
Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/south_phoenix/search-warrants-served-at-multiple-valley-locations-as-part-of-year-long-auto-theft-investigation#ixzz2k9mkX0ksabc7: Orange County copper theft suspect sought
/Friday, October 11, 2013
A police sketch shows a man who authorities believe has been stealing copper pipes from Orange County businesses. (KABC Photo)
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) --
The search is on for a suspect who's been stealing copper pipes from
Orange County businesses in the middle of the day and then selling the
copper for cash.
Detectives say he doesn't attract attention because he poses as a maintenance worker.
A surveillance camera caught the man climbing his ladder to the roof of a Santa Ana building. He made off with 240 feet of copper pipe from the air conditioning system.
Authorities believe he has also stolen copper from businesses in Fountain Valley, Cypress and Orange.
The suspect has a newer model Ford F-150 pickup truck. He is thought to be in his mid-40s to early-50s with a white beard.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
(Copyright ©2013 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Daily Press: Metal theft on the rise in Victor Valley
/Metal theft on the rise in Victor Valley
Sheriff's officials blames economy
April 21, 2013 4:58 PM
Despite a recent decrease in copper prices, theft of the metal has continued to increase as a result of tough economic times, a director of loss prevention for a regional recycler said.
The price of copper in 2006 to 2007 was approximately $4 to $5 a pound. Today the price is much lower, between $2.50 to $2.80 per pound, said Roger Young, a retired San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy who now works for SA Recycling.
Young, who oversees 50 recycling facilities throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, is also a reserve deputy sheriff for the city of Hesperia. He believes the High Desert is an extremely target-rich environment for metal theft because of the number of unmanned remote cell phone towers and switching stations operated by utility companies including Edison, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and PG&E.
“These are easy targets because there is no one around for miles because the desert is so spread out,” Young said.
Over the past two years The Rural Crimes Task Force, which is run out of the Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station, has seen a dramatic increase in metal theft, said San Bernardino County sheriff’s Deputy Kristie Dougan, who is assigned to the Task Force.
From 2011 to 2012 the amount of metal theft, which includes copper, aluminum, stainless steel, iron and any metal that can be recycled, was astounding, Dougan said.
In Victorville during that time period there was grand theft of metal in the approximate amount of $1.4 million; Apple Valley $175,000; Hesperia $1.1 million; Adelanto $1.3 million; and Barstow $1.2 million, Dougan said.
Lower numbers in Apple Valley are a result of the area being more compact and the fact that there are fewer vacant buildings, she said.
Dougan believes the increase in metal theft is due largely to the economy and the fact that so many people are out of work, she said. She said thefts have spiked even as the state legislature has fought back with more laws.
“It’s unfortunate that no matter how much legislation passes, until laws are stiffer, we are just spinning our wheels,” Dougan said.
Dougan called metal thefts a billion-dollar industry that’s not just limited to San Bernardino County.
“It’s a nationwide problem,” she said.
Copper is the metal choice of thieves due its value and the fact that it is used for a variety of products, including pipes for plumbing, wires for telecommunications and air conditioning units, which often contain condensers made of the metal. It’s also a good conductor, Dougan said.
The majority of metal theft is residential, rather than commercial. Thieves have the upper hand because there are so many vacant homes to chose from due to the high number of foreclosures in the area, she said.
Young said the regulations in place for scrap yards include taking a right thumb print of potential metal sellers, making a copy of the person’s driver’s license or identification card and recording the license plate of the vehicle that delivered the metal to be recycled.
Anyone with information regarding metal theft may report it by calling San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dispatch at 760-245-4211. Those callers who wish to remain anonymous can do so by calling WeTip at 800- 78-CRIME (27463) or visit www.WeTip.com.
Rebecca Howes can be reached at rhowes@vvdailypress.com or at (760) 951-6276.
STRIPPED: Copper wiring from light switches and plumbing are stripped from the walls of a vacant commercial building in Victorville on Friday. Copper sold for up to $5 a pound in 2006 to 2007 and has dropped currently to as low as $2.50 a pound.
DAVID PARDO, DAILY PRESS