In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. Heres how the scheme worked, according to PG&Es allegations in court filings. PG&E hired Bay Area Concrete to dispose of waste from hydrovac trucks special vacuum trucks that use pressurized water for precise excavation. 21 talking about this. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. PG&E also hired another company owned by Singh and Johal, PMK Contractors, to help build its command center for the fire, according to Packal. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder Kevin Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. Jimmy Carter: How much do you know about the former president? The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. 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. The blaze burned for weeks, destroyed 18,804 structures and killed 85 people. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. PG&E alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&E's contract with Bay Area Concrete. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concrete's work in Paradise. In multiple interviews with the news organizations, Bay Area Concrete officials denied the firm had done anything wrong. According to the countercomplaint, Kooistra denied any wrongdoing or having an interest in the companies, despite the interest being disclosed in public records. The accused PG&E employees, Ronald Huggins Jr. and Ryan Kooistra, did not respond to requests for comment. Lucero, who pleaded guilty in a 2008 case involving the payment of bribes to landfill operators in San Jose, told one of Johal and Singh's employees that he had permission to dump on a national wildlife refuge site on the shores of San Francisco Bay. "We think we got completely screwed by PG&E," Packal said. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. Public records show that the company's 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. Yadwinder Singh Project Technician at F12.net Calgary, Alberta, Canada 235 followers 233 connections Join to view profile F12.net Seneca College About Customer service focused System. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. 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. On Feb. 24, 2020, PG&E released the memo from CEO William Johnson to the media. PG&E first started disposing of waste in the companys Hayward yard in 2016, and the business expanded to include the cleanup of PG&E yards throughout Northern California. His office accepts new patients and telehealth appointments. 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. On March 15, 2016, Lucero was indicted for violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Bay Area Concrete has denied the allegations of fraud and bribery in Paradise. "This is in addition to avoiding the significant negative environmental impacts that trucking and processing these materials elsewhere in the state would have caused," he wrote. I don't know what they're going to do. Elisa Wilfong, who oversees Hayward's water pollution investigations, said her inspectors issued Bay Area Concrete repeated verbal warnings since 2015. Journalist Camille Von Kaenel explains on The Four. PG&E dumped truckloads of slurry waste as they began digging up damaged gas lines. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. But slurry can be tough to get rid of. The county cited the company for illegal importation of dirt used in construction. During the 2018 trial, he testified that Lucero had hired him in June 2014 to run the site. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. Thanks for Not Procreating: Making Census of the Moment. 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. 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.. Ramsey said in an email that he received no further information from PG&E but had determined that his office did not have jurisdiction in the case. My Official Page - Yadwinder Singh #14 Power Forward for Indian Senior Men's Basketball Team; Haryana Gold at UBA & Zarkawt BCA at MSL. City staff denied the application. Yadwinder Singh, MD specializes in Internal Medicine at OhioHealth Physician Group in Circleville, OH. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. 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In a statement posted to the company's website, he accused PG&E of falsifying accusations to avoid paying bills. Bay Area Concrete's contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. In 16 years, the pair's. A PG&E contractor accused of bribery and fraud during the Camp Fire cleanup had a history of illicit dumping, conflict with regulators and employed a senior manager connected to environmental crimes, according to a new investigation by the Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica. Find Dr. Singh's phone number, address, insurance information, hospital affiliations and more. This February, as the news organizations began investigating, PG&E publicly accused Bay Area Concrete of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. The full investigation is available at ProPublica.org. Olivero wrote that PG&E owed the company more than $14 million. KTVU's Azenith Smith reports. Neither the memos nor media reports identified the employees. The allegations are patently false and not supported by the evidence, she said. PG&E operates a service center across the street from Bay Area Concrete's main facility in Hayward. PG&E paid CCI $150,000 over five weeks without knowing that the company was owned by Kooistra, a violation of PG&E employment and supplier policies. 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. Soon after buying the property, Singh applied to use it to recycle concrete, but Hayward officials opposed the plan. PG&E alleges that Kooistra and Huggins steered PG&E contracts to Bay Area Concrete and other companies controlled by Singh and Johal. But that same day, a spark ignited brush in the remote foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. He said the company may have overlooked some details as it grew its business. So you need to do more. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. A mound of crushed concrete got bigger and bigger and workers could no longer reach the top of it with hoses to control the dust. In 2019, they leased land on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay for concrete recycling. PG&E's filing is in response to a breach of contract lawsuit filed against the utility in October by Bay Area Concrete. Over the next year, crews working for the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery removed nearly 3.7 million tons of debris, including 673,244 tons of contaminated soil. Ramsey said in an email that he received no further information from PG&E but had determined that his office did not have jurisdiction in the case. "These guys have been a problem." PG&E then suspended business with the five sites, all competitors of Bay Area Concrete, pending the outcome of the water board's investigation. They show that while the 2018 fire still burned in Paradise, an attorney for Bay Area Concretes owners registered a limited liability company at the business address of another one of the owners companies. Dr. Kevin Patrick Oreilly, MD . Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. In the same year they hired Olivero, Johal and Singh expanded into the business of disposing slurry waste collected by specialized disposal trucks known as hydrovacs. He is affiliated with medical facilities such as Adena Regional Medical Center and Berger Hospital. Dr. Yadwinder Singh, MD is an Internal Medicine Specialist in Circleville, OH and has over 32 years of experience in the medical field. The litigation process will make this clear in time.. Bay Area Concretes contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. He debuted with the India's national basketball team in 2005 and played at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran. "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 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. Circleville, OH . 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. "We have confronted the two PG&E employees supervising BAC with the evidence that they received large sums of money and gifts from the vendor; those employees are no longer with the company," Johnson wrote. PG&E's filing is in response to a breach of contract lawsuit filed against the utility in October by Bay Area Concrete. Heres how the scheme worked, according to PG&Es allegations in court filings. Yadwinder has three known connections and has the most companies in common with Sabrina Hamipi. 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. When confronted by PG&E investigators, Huggins told the investigators he had paid the $16,750 bill in cash, which he happened to have on hand in his house. 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. "The litigation process will make this clear in time.". Hayward levied nearly $60,000 in fines over that period. In Richmond, a Contra Costa County Environmental Health Division inspector was asked to leave while investigating complaints of an unpermitted solid waste facility. In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. 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. 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. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. The company, which declared bankruptcy in January 2019 after the fire, is expected to emerge from it as soon as Wednesday. A mural painted by Shane Grammar is seen on a chimney that remains at a property burned by the Camp fire in Paradise, California on February 01, 2019. Bay Area Concrete hired a manager of that site, Kevin Olivero, to be its CEO. 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 . A city water pollution expert warned the runoff could be contaminating San Francisco Bay. In 16 years, the pairs business empire has grown from a single trucking firm to more than a dozen companies operating in 11 cities throughout the West Coast. Kooistra sold his home in California in February and returned to Arizona, where he founded a pool cleaning business in May. In it, Johnson accused Bay Area Concrete of fraud by overcharging PG&E and bribery by paying "large sums of money and gifts" to two PG&E employees who were no longer with the company. Bay Area Concrete overcharged for travel time while hauling and billed PG&E for work that was never done or was unnecessary. You can cancel at any time. He moved out in November . In 2018, the company applied for a temporary permit to continue operating while it moved to a different facility. Bay Area Concrete overcharged for travel time while hauling and billed PG&E for work that was never done or was unnecessary. The investigation was co-published on Tuesday by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation. 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. Kooistra did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone, mail or social media. Something. 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 unanimous vote to deny the permits was a potentially devastating blow to Bay Area Concrete. PG&E first started disposing of waste in the company's Hayward yard in 2016, and the business expanded to include the cleanup of PG&E yards throughout Northern California. 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. He currently plays for Haryana Gold of India's UBA Pro Basketball League. In 16 years, the pair's. 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. He is very compassionate and Caring. The 24-year . Now, an investigation by the Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica has revealed for the first time a multimillion-dollar real estate transaction linking one of Bay Area Concrete's owners,. Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more. A small white sign on the fence reads "Slurry Waste Solutions" in orange. Four days later, he retired. PG&Es 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. 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. A Santa Clara University psychology professor said the enormity of the destruction and devastation in Paradise can take an emotional toll on fire victim and leave psychological scars. It paid a low hourly rate, but it was a steady contract that soon expanded to include sweeping PG&E sites from Sacramento to Monterey and east into the Central Valley. PG&E did not say how much the utility believes it was overcharged by Bay Area Concrete as it continues to investigate. 90 percent of businesses in Butte County were destroyed in the wildfire. Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. 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. Responsible for early character designs and explorations for an upcoming animated TV series. Kooistra sold his home in California in February and returned to Arizona, where he founded a pool cleaning business in May. He provided photos showing that the concrete stockpile had grown so large it leaned against the fence between the two properties, bulging over the boundary. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. The facility processed the slurry waste from hydrovac trucks, special excavation equipment that uses pressurized water to dig around delicate equipment like buried gas lines or cables. 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. Singh and Johal met Olivero for lunch along with his boss, Jim Lucero, at a high-end restaurant in Oakland. 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. Chris Packal, Bay Area Concrete's operations manager, downplayed the citations the company received from regulators in Hayward and other cities as minor corrections. "We have already redirected the work to new vendors to make sure our efforts rebuilding in Paradise and Butte County will not be delayed." 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. "The litigation process will make this clear in time.". PG&E did not say how much the utility believes it was overcharged by Bay Area Concrete as it continues to investigate. When confronted by PG&E investigators, Huggins told the investigators he had paid the $16,750 bill in cash, which he happened to have on hand in his house. Fortinet and Palo alto SME with NSE 1,2,3,4,5,7 and PCNSE 7. 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. For years, the owners of Bay Area Concrete Recycling had run an unlicensed dump in the city of Hayward, California. 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. An upcoming animated TV series not respond to requests for comment the street from Bay Area Concrete repeated verbal since... 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