>said Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey state police. "There are serious money and organizational skills involved here that could have been used for lawful purposes."

Well, considering how hard it is for so many to find a job, I say kudos!.....So, "recycling theft" is a growing challenge? What a bogus "crime." Considering how much destruction Walmart and other "big box" retailers have done to this nation's economy, the NJSP pursuing this case is a joke. To think -- our NJSP cannot even enforce immigration laws (the ACLU and other treasonous groups would howl) but the NJSP can pursue a case where Walmart is the "victim" speaks volumes about how screwed up our law enforcement priorities have gotten these days. Sheesh....GXR

It's all about "Bid Business"...

You can rob whomever you want, just don't screw with big business.

Cops acting like criminals! What gives them the right to steal the three caddies from these men?

Oh boo hoo some one stole Walmart's cardboard.....are you F'ing serious? And our judicial system is pleased with their arrests? Pathetic...why not throw a hungry child in jail for stealing a loaf of bread....oh wait, they still do that.....

Really? Jail for stealing cardboard?

who buys the cardboard from them?

This is so dumb .... It's in the recycle anyway they are just re- recycling , how come I don't get paid when I put my cardboard out every other week , I guess it makes it ok to do this "crime" curbside then since residents don't get money back for recyling and it wouldn't be "stealing" either

Good point HobokenOwl. When I lived in NYC people took all my cans and bottles out of my recycling bins for the 5 cent deposit. How was that not stealing? Why would the police even consider this criminal activity , Walmart didnt want it. Most people consider recycling a pain in the a$$.

A trailer load of cardboard is 24 tons x 125 is $3000 not bad for a days work.
There is a massive paper mill in Staten Island that converts bales of cardboard back to rolls of brown paper.

Everyone is right, if they are comfortable with a crime that amounts to a $112,500.00 theft in which the only victims are the recycling companies that were expecting to make that money on resale of the crushed cardboard instead of these guys. I’m sure Walmart was making money too by contracting with the recyclers. The irony is that the State is the one who really wins on this deal because the 2 tractor trailers, 3 flatbeds and 3 Escalades far exceed the profits made by the accused.

Maybe one of these mass paper mills is contracted and pays them for cardboard pick up then yes I see the problem.... But still in that case you can go around curbside which is legal and pick up everyone's stuff and it will defanently will add up "same concept as taking bottles and cans from garbage" .... Isn't the curb fair game?

This article & the comments are better than reading the comics! Who'd a thunk it? Cardboard!!!! I'll be more appreciative of all the boxes I get!
Wow! I just thought, I've a cache in my attic, saved for moving, or other uses. I may be a millionaire! Where do I cash in?

Curbside pick up is illegal. Only companies contracted by the towns can pick up curbside.

You could easily make a living off of this if you went to every house on bottles/cans and cardboard nights collect all of it and go to a recycle center for a cash in .... This article is only going to inspire people to do this now $$$

@Bill ..... Is it really? I thought curb was fair game until collection day

I have never seen so many dumb comments on one short story before,

there have been articls in the record about towns losing money because of people taking recycling from the curbside. it is illegal to take but rarely enforced. Towns are paid for what the collect from recycling. the better materials are seperated the more they are worth. recently i actually saw a paramus cop stop and issue a summose to someone taking a oven that my neighbor had put out for pick up.

I'd call it being entrepreneurial. Being arrested for stealing cardboard is ridiculous. There are certainly other crimes worthy of being arrested for. And if your giving a summons for taking someone else's trash(oven), then business must be slow.

I believe that even search warrants are required by law enforcement to obtain and go through garbage at the curb. My understanding has always been that unauthorized garbage pick-up is illegal and considered the property of the occupant of the premises until it picked up by town contractors. Most property owners do not object when someone asks if they can have the appliances placed at the curb, especially since the towns do charge for this type of garbage. Additionally, if the homeowner places a "free" sign on certain items, then it is not illegal to pick up.

Just to clarify a few points. Most municipalities have an ordinance that states the recyclables become property of the town once they are placed at the curb. Taking recycling off the curb is illegal. There is a value to it so it is theft.

The police in NJ are required to have a search warrant to go through your garbage. Other municipal officials such as your Recycling Coordinator, Sanitation or Property Maintenance Inspectors do NOT require a search warrant. That was a US Supreme Court decision from the 1980s.

In regards to the person who asked why you don't get paid for putting your recycling out to the curb, you do! The revenue the town generates is put back in the town budget to help offset the amount of taxes they need to generate for their budget. When the thieves take the recycling from the curb, they are stealing from the residents... literally!

Stealing is stealing. Would it make a difference if they were stealing shampoo instead of cardboard? Legally, no! It is theft of property.

Stealing $100,000 worth of properties is a minor crime? Each time, the theives would fetch about hundreds of dollars. Doing it often enough, it would get to that amount. According to your logic, if you steal a camera on display from a store, probably worth hundreds, that is a minor crime. You keep doing that hundreds of times, also still minor and people should just mind thier own bunisess?

Anyway, this type of crimes is not something new. A Bellivile man was arrested before:
http://livingston.patch.com/articles/5-things-police-recycling-theft-attempt-northfield-car-crash

"So what are you in for?" "I stabbed a guy and stole his car. You?" "I took some empty boxes"

Ms. concealed,

I believe we took the prosecuter who was going after corrupt politictions and made him govener of the state. things have calmed down since.

which politicians are corrupt. what where is the evidence, what crimes have they committed if you have evidence come foward with it to the local prosecuter but don't just lay out a blanket statement that no one is going after them.

This is a story about theft on a large scale not a kid taking a candy bar not corruption why does politics need to be brought into it?

A lot of comments regarding curbside pickup but as I see it this was at a WalMart which is private property so that's where I think the issue is. WalMart doesn't' drop their trash "curbside" it's on their property. You cannot dump your trash in their dumpster and you cannot take what is rightfully theirs..

Goes to show you how desperate things have gotten today. Stealing recycle !!! What's next ?

Where I work, we pile cardboard into a trailer and get paid for it. There are companies that will also buy back pallets and I've known people to steal those from the back of buildings as well. We have to keep our goods that we'll use for a future outbound freight in the warehouse safe from thieves.
These people know they are in the wrong or else they'd ask for it.

At the end of the day at least these "criminals" are recycling and helping the environment

Darlene, Had that happen at a garage sale. Can't make this stuff up !!

This is not just some cardboard loose in the back dock.
This is baled cardboard that requires a baling machine.
In order to pick up the bales, the flatbed truck must bring with it a forklift truck.
It could be chained to the back of the flatbed like a Home Depot truck.
Or a roll off tow truck had to bring one along.
Then the bales have to be chained or strapped to the trailer.
All this right in front of the store's nose!

The store should have NOSED something was going on ?

I wonder if Walmart was paying the company to pick up the cardboard waste. If they were, then these guys were doing them a favor.

THIS IS STATEN ISLAND AND JERSEY MOB ACTIVITY,... THE COPS AND FEDS NEED TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER,.... THEIR GOING TO BE VERY SURPRISED AT WHO AND WHAT THEY PULL UP FROM THE STATEN ISLAND AND JERSEY, CESS POOL,....

So much of the morality of this country is right in the bottom of the toilet. Unbelievable! This is the second article I have read in the past hour where people are stealing from Walmart and others are applauding these crimes. What the hell kind of community do you want to live in? It's okay to steal as long as it is from a company you disapprove of? It's okay to steal if you don't think that the items should be worth much to others? Times are tough so this justifies grand larceny? What kind of families did you grow up in? Didn't anyone ever instill any honesty, decency, and respect for the property of others in you? If I don't like you is it okay for me to rip you off? It's about time some of you started thinking about what kind of world you are creating for the kids who are growing up today.

It's laughable (almost) since it's cardboard, but it wouldn't be so funny if it was something like copper. A crime is a crime no matter what the item. They made a lot of money from it and went to a lot of trouble to set up their operations to do so.

WOW!!!!! 63 POSTS,over CARDBOARD ?

These are not nice people and this is not their only crime . Go to silive.com under news you will see anice in depth article about these upstanding citizens.

Look at the bright side; even the mobsters are going 'green'. Say hello to my uncle RICO.

they can steal all the cardboard they want to....just don't put a Wal Mart anywhere near my town....

goombas