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. Facebook gives people the power. Liked by Yadwinder singh Happy Shree Krishna Janmashtami #sparkbrains #janmashtami2021 #webdevelopment #searchengineoptimisation #webdesigning Johal and Singh continued to clash with city regulators over the concrete recycling. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. The decision would prove the latest in a series of dubious choices by PG&E that have raised questions about the utility's commitment to safety and the environment, the review found. Olivero wrote that PG&E owed the company more than $14 million. 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. 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. 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. Within weeks of Bay Area Concrete losing its battle before the Hayward Planning Commission, PG&E had hired the company to build and run a dump outside of Paradise, 180 miles to the north. "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.". PG&E alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&E's contract with Bay Area Concrete. He graduated from GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY / MEDICAL COLLEGE in 1991. 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. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. Jimmy Carter: How much do you know about the former president? "PG&E has initiated an internal review to determine why this wasn't detected earlier, and we will be enhancing our protocols to ensure this doesn't happen again," a PG&E spokesperson wrote. 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 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. In July 2019, a new filing for Regal Rose LLC listed its managers as Kooistra and his wife, Celia, a real estate agent and swimsuit model. Bay Area Concrete CEO Kevin Olivero declined to be interviewed. All Rights Reserved. According to the countercomplaint, Kooistra denied any wrongdoing or having an interest in the companies, despite the interest being disclosed in public records. 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. His duties included collecting money from contractors dumping dirt and demolition debris and using a bulldozer to spread the dumped material. Singh and Johal's companies also have a history of not cooperating with inspectors. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Adding water to dirt makes it illegal to take to ordinary landfills, since dumping it can allow common pollutants like lead or hydrocarbons ?to seep into groundwater. 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. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? PG&E alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&Es contract with Bay Area Concrete. 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. Hands on experience on Palo alto firewall, Fortinet firewall, Fortimanager, Fortianalyzer, Fortiswitch, FortiAP. "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. After contracting for the Paradise cleanup, Bay Area Concrete's annual revenue jumped from $16.5 million to $43.5 million, according to documents filed with a lease application. Those who have met the pair describe them as smart and friendly. 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. City staff described broken promises, obstruction and apparently willful violation of the law. 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 alleges that Huggins was aware of Kooista's actions and did not disclose them. Since 2010, the power and gas company has been found responsible for 117 deaths and hit with more than $15 billion in fines and damages for failing to maintain gas and power lines that stretch across California. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. 90 percent of businesses in Butte County were destroyed in the wildfire. "The litigation process will make this clear in time.". He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. The investigation was co-published on Tuesday by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation. Packal also alleged that PG&E-contracted hydrovac trucks were dumping illegally. Still, over the next six weeks, Singh and Johal's Economy Trucking Services was one of the most prolific dumpers at the site, dumping up to 100 truckloads every day, each weighing between 10 tons and 12 tons, according to court transcripts. 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 Concretes contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. 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. "We have already redirected the work to new vendors to make sure our efforts rebuilding in Paradise and Butte County will not be delayed." New York, United States. Here's how the scheme worked, according to PG&E's allegations in court filings. Some of those sites ran afoul of regulators as well. "Absolutely no photos or videos taken on these premises without permission," it says. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to ash and rubble. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. Packal said PG&E attempted to use equipment Bay Area Concrete had installed on PG&E property in Petaluma, and the company sent PG&E a cease and desist letter. One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power companys dime. Packal confirmed that Kooistra lost his job over the allegations. Meanwhile, Kooistra and Bay Area Concrete grew a lucrative business relationship separate from PG&E, according to records and interviews. But at a city Planning Commission meeting in November 2018, commissioners were unmoved. The water board declined to comment or confirm the existence of any ongoing investigations. Bay Area Concrete overcharged for travel time while hauling and billed PG&E for work that was never done or was unnecessary. 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. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. 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 is unfortunate that you decided to terminate our contract without first consulting us or making sure that your purported grounds had merit," he wrote. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder Kevin Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. 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. The accused PG&E employees, Ronald Huggins Jr. and Ryan Kooistra, did not respond to requests for comment. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. 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One day, a PG&E employee crossed the street and offered Bay Area Concrete a contract to use street sweeping trucks to clean the PG&E facility, according to Packal. February 26, 2021 / 9:44 AM According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. That year, the couple used a holding company to buy a property at 24701 Clawiter Road. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power company's dime. Great knowledge about SDWan.<br><br>Good knowledge about Azure, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, STP, RSTP, IPsecvpn, SSLvpn, SSL decryption, Firewall management. My Official Page - Yadwinder Singh #14 Power Forward for Indian Senior Men's Basketball Team; Haryana Gold at UBA & Zarkawt BCA at MSL. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. Once it was up and running, trucks could dump their slurry in 20 minutes and leave with a clean tank of water. PG&E alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&Es contract with Bay Area Concrete. Very good beside manners. 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. 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. It turned out to be a lucrative business opportunity for Bay Area Concrete - thanks to Pacific Gas & Electric, the giant Northern California utility company whose electric lines had caused the conflagration. Something. The same month, San Jose code enforcement officials cited the company for operating a recycling transfer facility without permits. (Another skier died on the same slope that same weekend.) 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. Corporate records unearthed by the news organizations reveal new details about the alleged schemes. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. PG&E alleges that Huggins was aware of Kooistas actions and did not disclose them. It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time, Packal said. 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. 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. He debuted with the India's national basketball team in 2005 and played at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. But the same morning Hayward's Planning Commission officially denied Bay Area Concrete's appeal to continue operating, a PG&E employee called 911 to report a fire in a heavily wooded area by the 115,000-volt Caribou-Palermo transmission line. Soon after buying the property, Singh applied to use it to recycle concrete, but Hayward officials opposed the plan. A small white sign on the fence reads "Slurry Waste Solutions" in orange. Mike Mibach catches up with the principal investigator of the new study along with a San Francisco fire captain to discuss the results. He filed complaints with the Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding five different disposal sites. To assist in the cleanup, PG&E hired a fleet of as many as 180 hydrovac trucks, which flocked to Paradise from as far away as Kansas City and Montana. PG&Es filing is in response to a breach of contract lawsuit filed against the utility in October by Bay Area Concrete. Despite that, PG&E then contracted with Bay Area Concrete to play a key role in the cleanup after the Camp Fire. In multiple interviews with the news organizations, Bay Area Concrete officials denied the firm had done anything wrong. 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. 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. 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