Flint Man Pleads Guilty In Out-Of-State Bottle Return Scheme

FLINT (WWJ) - A 70-year-old Flint man has been caught a scam that would make Seinfeld envious.

John Custer Woodfill pleaded guilty Monday to returning 10,000 or more out of state non-returnable beverage containers.

The State Attorney General's office says Woodfill bought no-deposit cans from Indiana for pennies a pound, then cashed them in at grocery stores in Michigan. He even printed phony bar codes so the cans would be accepted in the automatic return machines. This went on for three years until an informant tipped off state police.

"This was not a one-time nickel-and-dime case," Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. "This man orchestrated bogus refunds for tens of thousands of non-returnable beverage containers. In effect he stole from Michigan's bottle return program that has long served to protect and promote a healthy environment. His actions also negatively affected distributors, merchants and even consumers who carry much of the burden in making the program work."

Police say from April 2012 to April 2015, Woodfill bought uncrushed non-returnable cans in Indiana as scrap, and immediately began returning them to Michigan to redeem with the help of a partner who is now deceased.

The partner relocated to Brownstown, Indiana, where he operated a beverage can "recycling" outfit, officials said, buying locally non-refundable pop and beer cans for 60-80 cents a pound. Those non-returnables were trailered back to Flint by Woodfill, where he developed a system of return throughout lower Michigan in order to take advantage of the state's refund law on deposits, according to Schuette.

As part of his plea, Woodfill owes $400,000 in restitution to the state, and the van and trailer he used will be forfeited. Sentencing is set for May 2.

In a memorable two-part episode of Seinfeld, Kramer and Newman hatch a scheme to take empty bottles from New York, where the deposit is a paltry 5 cents, and return them in Michigan, where they could double their profits. Hilarity, of course, ensues.