A Southern California family that made millions through recycling now faces fraud charges that could lead to several years in prison, according to prosecutors.

In a felony complaint filed this month, state prosecutors charged eight family members in Riverside County with defrauding the state by importing used bottles and cans from Arizona—amounting to 178 tons over an 8-month period—and recycling them in California.

The recycling operation netted the family $7.6 million, according to a statement from the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Investigators also uncovered a stash of "illegally imported beverage containers" worth an additional $1 million.

In California, when someone purchases a plastic or aluminum bottle, they usually pay an extra 5 to 10 cents as "California Redemption Value" (CRV), which the consumer can get back by returning the items to one of the state's more than 1,200 recycling centers. Arizona does not have a similar program.

"California's recycling program is funded by consumers and helps protect our environment and our communities," said Bonta. "Those who try to undermine its integrity through criminal operations will be held accountable."

In the criminal complaint, prosecutors specifically accuse the family members of unlawfully conspiring to commit grand theft and, on a "chronic and ongoing basis," defrauding the California recycling program by seeking reimbursement for out-of-state containers, as well as containers that had already been redeemed within California.

Felony grand theft in California is punishable by up to three years in a state prison. Redeeming out-of-state containers, to the degree the family is accused, could also land the accused behind bars for another three years.

Court documents did not identify an attorney for the defendants, who have not been convicted of a crime.

Last year, six people were charged in a similar Arizona-to-California recycling scheme that, according to prosecutors, netted more than $10 million by fraudulently redeeming over nine tons of empty beverage containers.

Between 2010 and 2019, at least 93 people in California were convicted of recycling fraud, according to a report by the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.