PG&E's counterclaim, filed earlier this month, names Bay Area Concrete, both former PG&E employees, Singh, Johal, several of their other companies and Bay Area Concrete CEO Kevin Olivero as defendants. You have permission to edit this article. But slurry can be tough to get rid of. He said the company may have overlooked some details as it grew its business. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened an investigation. "It stunned us," Packal said. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally protected wetlands and had engaged in a long conflict with regulators in the city of Hayward, where Bay Area Concrete operates a dump. Singh and Johal met Olivero for lunch along with his boss, Jim Lucero, at a high-end restaurant in Oakland. SAN FRANCISCO - Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric accused two of its former employees of accepting bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company after the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. He said the utility had offered to pay $9.3 million after the company made a statement accusing PG&E of trying to avoid outstanding fees. Packal said the arrangement resulted in substantial savings for PG&E in the labor and gas for trips to faraway disposal sites. In response to a long list of questions, PG&E provided a brief statement that did not directly address how warning signs like the company owners' long conflict with the city of Hayward and participation in an illegal dumping operation were overlooked. "It was pretty much out of control the entire time they were in operation," he said. In 2014, the company was connected to an illegal dumping operation on federally protected wetlands in Newark. PG&E's court filing alleges that Regal Rose LLC, a shell company established by Singh, was also in possession of a property in Arizona when it was transferred to Kooistra. According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. Bay Area Concrete is part of a sprawling network of hauling, recycling and construction companies owned by Bay Area couple Preet Johal and Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh. Bay Area Concrete has said that PG&Es accusations of fraud are false and the bankrupt utility was just trying to get out of paying its bills. Responsible for establishing a corporate relationship with multi-national companies, and manage salary accounts, corporate credit cards . In February, PG&E CEO William Johnson publicly accused Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. They throw lavish holiday parties for their employees and clients and sometimes give expensive presents, like $1,000 gift cards. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concrete's contracts with PG&E increased "exponentially" over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. In exchange, the lawsuit alleges, a company linked to Johal and Singh repaved Huggins' driveway while they were supposed to be working on a PG&E job. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concrete's work in Paradise. The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concretes purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. "This is in addition to avoiding the significant negative environmental impacts that trucking and processing these materials elsewhere in the state would have caused.". PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. Corporate records unearthed by the news organizations show that while the fire still burned in Paradise, an attorney for Bay Area Concrete's owners registered a limited liability company at the business address of another one of the owners' companies. The accused PG&E employees, Ronald Huggins Jr. and Ryan Kooistra, did not respond to requests for comment. The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concrete's purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. Their extensive network of businesses has funded an upscale lifestyle: In 2014, they purchased an 8,500-square-foot home on a wooded ridge outside of Pleasanton for $3.6 million. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. A subordinate is accused of having received a bribe in an unorthodox property transfer of a multimillion-dollar house in a wealthy suburb of San Francisco. "It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time," Packal said. In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. PG&E did not say how much the utility believes it was overcharged by Bay Area Concrete as it continues to investigate. My Official Page - Yadwinder Singh #14 Power Forward for Indian Senior Men's Basketball Team;. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. Public records show that the companys income increased substantially, from $16.5 million to $43.5 million, after receiving a contract to dispose of waste in connection with the Paradise fire. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concrete's work in Paradise. ", When Bay Area Concrete faced tough questions from regulators, Bauters, the company's environmental officer, could usually smooth things over. Dr. Kevin Patrick Oreilly, MD . Yadwinder Singh Brar , who is the top worker in his industry, presently lives in a luxurious area in Chandigarh and drives a Audi alongside four other luxury cars and bikes, all purchased with his . The Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica first reported the exchange, which one expert described as possible money laundering. "The allegations are patently false and not supported by the evidence," she said. PG&E asked Kooistra to turn over his company-issued phone, which he did, but he refused to provide his passcode so investigators could access text messages and other data. In its suit, Bay Area Concrete alleged that it had saved PG&E millions of dollars by doing disposal work in Paradise more cheaply than a competitor. According to the countercomplaint, Kooistra denied any wrongdoing or having an interest in the companies, despite the interest being disclosed in public records. 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Huggins retired, and Kooistra sold his home and moved out of state after being confronted by PG&E investigators, the counterclaim by PG&E said. Olivero wrote that PG&E owed the company more than $14 million. Bay Area Concrete appealed to continue operating, but it was unanimously rejected by the Hayward Planning Commission late in 2018. The site was shut down by police and its operator, James Lucero, was convicted of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concretes work in Paradise. The allegations are patently false and not supported by the evidence, she said. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In a statement, PG&E spokesperson James Noonan called the alleged actions of Bay Area Concrete completely unacceptable., We will pursue every available action to remedy the situation and do right by those that we have the privilege to serve, Noonan said. In February, PG&E CEO William Johnson publicly accused Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Other Specialty (7) 2 Awards . In 16 years, the pair's. In February 2020, PG&E canceled Bay Area Concrete's contracts and publicly announced its belief that the waste company had committed fraud. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? "Their accusations are wrong, and they'll wind up paying us one way or another.". Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. A subordinate is accused of having received a bribe in an unorthodox property transfer of a multimillion-dollar house in a wealthy suburb of San Francisco. The sprawling complex includes parking for utility trucks, a repair station, outdoor storage for large spools of wires, pipes and other equipment, and a compressed natural gas vehicle fueling station. He graduated from GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY / MEDICAL COLLEGE in 1991. Bay Area Concrete also said that it continued to work for PG&E as other companies fled when the utility declared bankruptcy in January 2019. "It is unfortunate that you decided to terminate our contract without first consulting us or making sure that your purported grounds had merit," he wrote. To pay the bribes, Singh used a series of real estate transactions involving a 5,600-square-foot home in Saratoga to transfer money to Kooistra, PG&E alleges. Nov 2021 - Present1 year 3 months. Two days later, Kooistra quit his job, according to the complaint. Since 2012, most of their businesses have operated out of Hayward, a Bay Area suburb of Oakland. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. The accused PG&E employees, Ronald Huggins Jr. and Ryan Kooistra, did not respond to requests for comment. Two days later, Kooistra quit his job, according to the complaint. Another shell company, CCI Management, was owned by Kooistra and acted as a subcontractor for Bay Area Concrete in Paradise. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally protected wetlands and had engaged in a long conflict with regulators in the city of Hayward, where Bay Area Concrete operates a dump. / CBS San Francisco, by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally. Four days later, he retired. Bay Area Concrete is part of a sprawling network of hauling, recycling and construction companies owned by Bay Area couple Preet Johal and Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh. In business meetings, Singh tends to take the reins, while Johal listens quietly, occasionally asking a question. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concretes contracts with PG&E increased exponentially over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. "At the end of the day, this is really an illegal business that's asking to continue operating," Commissioner Gary Patton said at the meeting, "and it's been illegal since 2013.". He argued that there were legitimate differences in opinion over what zoning allowed for the site in Hayward. In its suit, Bay Area Concrete alleged that it had saved PG&E millions of dollars by doing disposal work in Paradise more cheaply than a competitor. Kooistra sold his home in California in February and returned to Arizona, where he founded a pool cleaning business in May. 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Records show that Kooistra owned another company, CCI Management LLC, which was founded in June 2019. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. Dawn Sweatt, an attorney for Bay Area Concrete, said her clients vehemently deny the allegations by PG&E. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. But while the city and Bay Area Concrete's neighbors sought to shut the company down, another wanted to do business. The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concrete's purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. "You need to know what you need to do to control this dust. In state filings, its business address was listed as 1580 Chabot Court in Hayward, where another of Singh and Johal's companies is located. From Paradise, the truck operators would have to drive long distances to dump their loads, to places such as Chico, Sacramento or Tracy, slowing down the work and making it more expensive. On March 3, PG&E sent a second internal memo clarifying that it had also ended its business relationships with Johal and Singh's other companies, including Bay Area Hydrovac, Economy Trucking, PMK Contractors and Slurry Waste Solutions. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. Another shell company, CCI Management, was owned by Kooistra and acted as a subcontractor for Bay Area Concrete in Paradise. Singh and Johal negotiated use of the site through Olivero, whom they would later hire to run their flagship company. The investigation was co-published on Tuesday by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation. February 26, 2021 / 9:44 AM Kooistra resigned and his supervisor, superintendent of gas transmission and distribution Ron Huggins, also no longer works at PG&E, according to the news organizations investigation. "As we have stated previously, PG&E will continue to hold ourselves and those that do work on our behalf to the highest ethical standards.". Clearly what you are doing now is not working. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. PG&E alleges that Kooistra and Huggins steered PG&E contracts to Bay Area Concrete and other companies controlled by Singh and Johal. Under Kooistra's supervision, PG&E hired Bay Area Concrete to build a new slurry disposal center at a former Waste Management facility in Paradise. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey confirmed that PG&E contacted his office regarding the allegations and said he is waiting for further information from the utility. In February 2020, PG&E canceled Bay Area Concrete's contracts and publicly announced its belief that the waste company had committed fraud. I'm Yadwinder Singh and I'm here to help you deliver better and faster solutions for your mobile and web app requirements!<br><br>I have 7 years of experience in total and over the span of time I have developed and deployed many products in Mobile app and Web app zone.<br><br>Technologies I am enrich with :<br><br>MERN/MEAN Stack:<br><br>1. The allegations track closely with the results of an investigation last year by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation, which found that PG&E had overlooked numerous warning signs when it hired Bay Area Concrete. "The litigation process will make this clear in time.". Public records show that the companys income increased substantially, from $16.5 million to $43.5 million, after receiving a contract to dispose of waste in connection with the Paradise fire. Bay Area Concrete has said that PG&E's accusations of fraud are false and the bankrupt utility was just trying to get out of paying its bills. "They have obviously factored into their business model that they can afford these fines and they can afford these violations because they're making enough money," Carroll said. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. The litigation process will make this clear in time.. And soon PG&E would be doing more business with Bay Area Concrete than ever. Circleville, OH . Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. The full investigation is available here: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-a-pg-e-contractor-with-a-sketchy-past-made-millions-after-californias-deadliest-fire. According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power companys dime. Dr. Yadwinder Singh is a Internist in Circleville, OH. Kooistra was interviewed in January 2020 by PG&E investigators, who confronted him with evidence of his interest in companies connected to Bay Area Concrete. Bay Area Concrete is part of a sprawling network of hauling, recycling and construction companies owned by Bay Area couple Preet Johal and Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh. Anything. Bay Area Concrete has denied the allegations of fraud and bribery in Paradise. He currently plays for Haryana Gold of India's UBA Pro Basketball League. PG&E hired Bay Area Concrete to dispose of waste from hydrovac trucks special vacuum trucks that use pressurized water for precise excavation. New York, United States. The site was shut down by police and its operator, James Lucero, was convicted of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. On March 15, 2016, Lucero was indicted for violations of the federal Clean Water Act. In a letter to PG&E posted to the companys website, Olivero accused PG&E of falsifying accusations to avoid paying bills as the utility still owes the company a substantial sum. Bay Area Concrete's contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. That business grew substantially in November 2018, when a PG&E transmission line sparked a wildfire in Butte County that destroyed more than 18,000 structures and killed 85 people. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. Internal Medicine (18) 1 Award . One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power company's dime. 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