This Might Just Work
The plan was foolproof. Get paid for collecting, recycling, and reusing the cans. This 12-year-old's idea had a simple premise, but had the potential to make her a millionaire.
Her theory was put into practice, and soon the cash started flowing. She was unaware that she was being watched closely.
A Smart Little One
It's hard to believe that a seventh grader thought up such an elaborate plan. The whole thing sounded absurd at first.
After reading the fine print, things started to make sense. It was a big idea for a twelve-year-old. Her door was knocked on by the authorities with handcuffs prepared less than a year later.
Big Family
As far as Pasadena residents were concerned, the Breytons were like any other family. Their modest house was on the edge of the cul de sac, and they had four children between 17 and 12 years old.
James, their father, was always proud. A boy from the streets of Boyle Heights, he was constantly threatened with being dragged under by life. A good life had been built for him through ambition and hard work, including marrying the love of his life and starting a family.
The Whole Bunch
His four children included Mary, the firstborn, Kyle, the second, and twins Atlan and Kristy, both twelve years old. Despite James' insistence that he did not have any favorites among his children, Kristy was clearly his favorite.
He and Kristy gravitated toward each other, which was obvious to those who knew them.
Just Like Her Dad
Kristy is the one who took after James the most out of James' four beautiful children. Despite still being a child, she had demonstrated time and time again that she was resourceful and driven.
This same drive and focus had driven her father to Pasadena from Boyle Heights. The family ended up with a whopping $7.6 million from recycling - who would've thought?
Time To Clean
One Saturday morning, Kristy noticed how dirty their kitchen was. The eldest siblings, Mary and Kyle, and her mom, Elsie, were busy cleaning up.
Atlan and Kristy frequently took out garbage from three trash bins that were filled with garbage. As they dragged one of the bins out, Atlan observed: "This is a lot of garbage." What his twin was thinking was beyond him.
So Many Bags
"Yes," Kristy replied calmly. It puzzled her why her mom and elder siblings separated the trash rather than putting them all in one bin. As a result, she and Atlan would not have needed to take multiple trips.
“Mary and Kyle are separating trash because some is to be recycled,” he said, causing her brother to chuckle. Kristy was sparked by that alone.
Taking Note In Her Mind
Recycling was nothing new to Kristy. However, she hadn't really seen it in this light before. Her attention was drawn to plastic bottles and aluminium cans after she and her twin were dragging bins full of them.
On that night, she spent three hours reading everything she could about recycling. Her discovery surprised her.
Starting To Read Up More
Several areas of the ocean, twice as large as Texas, are filled with trash. The burning of waste was also destroying the environment. Across the globe, rivers, lakes, and vast swaths of land are being polluted every day.
Recycling was one of the most effective ways to reduce these adverse effects. This was not the only discovery the twelve-year-old made.
Asking Her Sister
In Kristy's state, recycling can be used to make money. It was initially difficult for her young mind to comprehend the process.
Even so, she called her elder sister and asked a few questions. Mary was surprised by her sister's newfound interest in recycling, but she was quick to explain exactly how it worked.
California Redemption Value
When someone buys a plastic or aluminium bottle in California, they must settle an extra 5 to 10 cents in California Redemption Value. The consumer can get this money back by returning these items to a recycling centre anywhere in the state.
Kristy listened carefully, nodding her head each time her big sister repeated a word or had to explain the concept again. By the end of her research, the twelve-year-old had half of what she'd need to start her money-making empire.
The Math
Kristy couldn't sleep that night. She thought about all the recyclable items that usually left her home every Saturday morning. If a single can or bottle guaranteed her between five to ten cents, she'd only need about twenty of them to make a dollar.
While that amount might not seem like a lot, it was a fortune for a twelve-year-old like Kristy. She almost screamed excitedly, thinking about how she'd spend all that cash.
Waking Up Early
Kristy woke up at 4 a.m. the following day for the first time in her young life. She hurried to the family computer to continue with her research. She'd already made a mental list of what she'd buy with her recycling money.
She wanted a few dresses and dolls for herself, a video game or two for Kyle and Atlan, and a makeup kit for Mary. She wanted to take her mom and dad for a picnic and show them that she could pay for stuff, too. She had no clue what she was about to stumble upon.
What To Buy
Kristy's mind was racing with ideas of what to buy. But she had to get her operation underway first. The best way to do this would be to convince either Kyle or Mary to drive her around Pasadena while she visits the different recycling centers.
By 9 a.m., she, Kyle, and Mary were visiting recycling centers all over the city. A tourist cum researcher, little Kristy, was asking question after question. She'd do everything to make a successful business.
Reconnaissance
Each recycling centre worker was kind enough to let Kristy experience the processes found in the centres. From sorting and packing to transporting, they explained how everything worked.
They even discussed how Kristy could make a few bucks by bringing recyclable material to these centers. "Oh, you'll see a lot of me in the coming weeks," Kristy whispered with a sinister smile.
It Begins
For the next week, Kristy started a collecting campaign all over her neighborhood. Posing as a good-hearted girl eager to teach families how to recycle as part of a school program, she convinced most of her neighbors to dump their beverage cans in sorted bins she'd offered them.
Her parents were proud to see her applying herself in this new endeavor. Her siblings thought it was only a new hobby she'd outgrow in the next few days. None of them could have predicted where all this would land them.
Let’s Get Paid
By the end of the first week, Kristy had enough recyclable trash to fill the trunk of her sister's car. After wrapping the cans properly, the two drove them to the recycling center in Pasadena.
Even Mary was floored when the center handed Kristy a hundred and twenty dollars for her haul. That amount was enough to buy Kristy one of her coveted dolls and take the family out for pizza. Everyone thought she'd put aside this obsession when, in reality, she'd only begun.
Double Or Nothing
Kristy doubled down on her efforts. She started moving up and down the neighborhood every evening, collecting trash. She'd fill bags with beverage cans, all of which she knew equaled cash.
By now, her twin, Atlan, who had seen how big of a gold mine this was, had hopped on the bandwagon. Together, the two brought in two hundred dollars and a lot of commendations from the neighborhood at the end of the week. But all of this would end in nothing but tears.
Thinking It Through
The twins continued collecting cash. But as the days passed, an idea hit Kristy, an idea that would result in her untimely downfall.
The twelve-year-old had noticed that she and her brother spent too much time collecting trash weekly. Although the money was good, the job was taxing. Add this to them having to attend school, and the whole problem sprouted more problems.
Eliminating The Problem
Kristy wondered if she could find a way to eliminate the problem. Could she get a few friends to help with collecting the beverage cans? As before, she fell into hours of research, looking for the best solution for her problem.
It wasn't long before she stumbled upon something grand. With a smile on her face, she bookmarked the page and went to bed. Her life was about to change.
Saving The Cash
Kristy and Atlan continued collecting recyclables throughout their neighborhood for the next few weeks. But Kristy wouldn't use her money on dolls or dresses each time they'd get paid.
She would give Atlan and a few of their friends who'd jumped on the prospect their cut and keep the rest. Her family thought she was saving it for something when, in truth, she was using it for something that would land everyone in court.
Let’s Set Up An Account
A few weeks in, Kristy asked Mary if she could help her set up an online bank account. "What is it for?" Mary asked. "Nothing much," Kristy answered. "I just want to save the cash I'm making."
"I could get you a kiddy bank," Mary suggested. But her sister wanted something more grand. She asked Mary to open an account in her own name and give her the credentials.
No Damage
For a twelve-year-old, Kristy could do little to no damage with a new bank account. Knowing that she would be safe, Mary opened the least taxing account that would also result in the least trouble if anything were to go wrong.
But she didn't hand her sister the login credentials. Instead, she helped Kristy link the account to an online platform from which the recycling centers would be depositing the recycling cash.
A Few Months In
Afterward, she completely forgot about it. But a few months in, she realized Kristy was sweating where she sat, giggling as she stared at the family computer.
"Kriss, are you okay?" Mary asked, and Kristy pushed the computer screen to face her. Mary almost jumped back at what she saw. Her lips parted, and her brows drew up. "How?" she asked.
How?
The screen showed the balance on the bank account she opened. For the last few weeks, Mary had been getting calls from the bank about unexplainable activities in her account. But she'd assured them that that was expected since she knew Kristy couldn't do anything questionable with the account.
But staring at it now, all she could mouth was, "How?" How had any of this gotten past the bank? How could they allow this?
That Is A Lot Of Money
"Is it a bug?" Mary asked, and Kristy shook her head. "It has been growing ever since you gave me the account," she said. The amount on the screen read $7.6 million, which Mary couldn't believe.
She ran to call their parents, and the whole family sat with Kristy for the next hour, trying to figure out what had happened between the time they'd left her to collect cans and now. But the authorities would beat them to the punch.
A Trail To The Authorities
You see, the bank had already contacted the authorities following the activities on the account. They'd realized the massive amounts of money pouring in every month. They couldn't understand why all these recycling plants across the state were sending money to one account.
But before the family could get to the bottom of everything, the whole neighborhood lit up in red and blue lights. Sirens took the air, and a few minutes later, the authorities knocked on the door.
The Authorities Are Here
Panic washed over Kristy as she peered outside to see police cars approaching the house. Being as young as she was, she didn't know that what she'd done was against the law. But now it was too late.
The authorities questioned her about their operation and the large sums of money she had accumulated. Suspicion mounted as the officers discovered that she didn't have proper permits for her recycling business, which was required by local regulations. But that was the least of her worries.
Out Of Control
The situation quickly spiralled out of control. Kristy, overwhelmed by fear and confusion, couldn't provide coherent explanations. The authorities seized her earnings as evidence while launching an investigation into their operation. It was only after five hours of prodding that Kristy finally came clean. She explained that she'd set up connections all over the state for the last few months using the initial money she'd started saving.
She'd gotten in touch with an individual from Arizona and was posing as a grown-up. She'd buy recyclables from him, and he'd have them transported to chosen warehouses in California. Kristy would then have a few associates collect the goods and take them to different recycling centres, who would then pay by sending the sum to her account. She'd give everyone involved a cut from this pool and save the rest.
Consequences
Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard the twelve-year-old explain everything. It was even more shocking that she'd done all this without leaving the house. But she admitted to using her elder sister's photos and videos as her own. She'd been convinced that all this was okay and that she wasn't hurting anyone.
But Kristy had crossed several legal lines that landed her entire family in court. The complex legal process took months to complete, and Kristy's family received fines and penalties for its daughter's actions. The experience had been a harsh lesson in the complexities of the adult world, and Kristy vowed never to take shortcuts or engage in ventures without proper guidance.