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Long Beach : 2 Recycling Workers Plead No Contest in Police Sting

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Two employees at a local recycling center have pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of buying stolen cans in a sting operation conducted by Long Beach police and the state Department of Conservation.

Abe Bradford, 57, a foreman at Canco Recycling, and Kenny McCallum, 27, a yard supervisor at Canco, were each fined $438 Friday by Long Beach Municipal Commissioner Ralph R. Olson. They have until Dec. 3 to pay the fine.

Two employees at another recycling center pleaded innocent last week to similar charges and are scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing Sept. 21.

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David Martinez, 62, assistant manager of Long Beach Metals Recycling, is charged with one misdemeanor count of buying stolen cans at Long Beach Metals Recycling, according to court records.

Jaime Fernando Bautista, 21, yard supervisor of the firm, is charged with three misdemeanor counts of buying stolen cans.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 and one year in jail.

Martinez is free on $10,000 bail, while Bautista is free on his own recognizance, according to court records.

All four men were arrested Aug. 26 after reportedly buying $1,000 worth of cans from an undercover officer. The recycling employees reportedly thought the cans had been stolen from a processing center.

The defendants could have benefited by earning profit on the scrap value of the cans, police said.

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