Forbes March, known for roles on three different soaps, was arrested earlier this month in New York on grand larceny charges.
March is charged with stealing more than $1,000 in used cooking oil from Michael's Diner, a restaurant in Ulster, Hudson County, New York. Police were called when two people were spotted siphoning the oil out of containers owned by Buffalo Biodiesel. Oscar Guardolo has also been charged in the incident. Both are charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, which is a felony.
If it seems odd to you that someone would steal dirty, used cooking oil, you're not alone. Theft of used cooking oil is on the rise nationwide, most notably in the Northeast. Thieves can sell the oil to a broker who will then send it off to a refinery where the cooking oil can be manufactured into biofuel through a process called transesterification. That biofuel can be used in animal feed, as well as paints, solvents, cleansers, lotions, plastics, tires, and more.
The president of Buffalo Biodiesel, Sumit Majumdar, told KTLA late last year that thefts are "wiping out a third" of the company's business." He went on to say, "To put that into numbers: $10 million to $15 million a year."
Grand larceny in the fourth degree requires no mandatory minimum prison term in New York. Those found guilty could be sentenced to one-and-a-third to four years in jail.
Since retiring from acting, March owns and operates New York Firewood Company, a firewood delivery company out of his farm in the Catskill Mountains. The company supplies wood for restaurants and private residences.
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