Trial-setting paused again for two Recology employees

Marion T. Allen, 60, of Fairfield, and Terri R. Wilson, 59, of Esparto, ordered to return to court on Dec. 7

Legal proceedings yet again have been reshuffled for two former Recology employees charged with taking cash bribes from garbage haulers while working at the waste disposal firm’s Vacaville landfill in 2015.

Marion Taylor Allen, 60, of Fairfield, and Terri Rosalind Wilson, of Esparto, 59, appeared Tuesday morning in Solano County Superior Court for a readiness conference and to set a trial date.

However, court records indicate Judge Jeffrey C. Kauffman, for the fourth time in well more than six months, ordered them to return for the same matters at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 7, in Department 1 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.

Allen and Wilson were indicted on June 21, 2018, by a specially convened Solano County grand jury on one count of felony conspiracy to commit a crime and 38 felony counts of grand theft stemming from their activities while working at the San Francisco-based company’s Hay Road landfill.

Wilson is being represented by well-known Vallejo criminal defense lawyer Daniel J. Russo and Allen by the Solano County Public Defender.

According to court records, from Nov. 14 to Dec. 30, 2015, the two women allegedly accepted cash bribes from waste haulers in exchange for allowing trucks to bypass Recology’s inbound truck scales and point-of-sale system at the landfill.

Charges were brought by the Solano County District Attorney after an internal forensic audit by Recology revealed that the alleged bypasses were occurring when Allen and Wilson were working as weighmasters in the inbound scale house.

Police investigators obtained search warrants to gain access to their residences, where they recovered $93,000 in cash from Allen’s home and nearly $155,000 from Wilson’s.

They were arraigned on the indictment on June 27, 2018.

Allen posted $195,000 bail and Wilson was granted supervised release through pretrial services.