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. In February 2020, PG&E canceled Bay Area Concrete's contracts and publicly announced its belief that the waste company had committed fraud. Despite that, PG&E then contracted with Bay Area Concrete to play a key role in the cleanup after the Camp Fire. PG&E then suspended business with the five sites, all competitors of Bay Area Concrete, pending the outcome of the water board's investigation. According to PG&Es complaint, CCI did hauling work for Bay Area Concrete, which would submit invoices directly to PG&E. PG&Es 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. 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. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said last year that PG&E alerted his office to the allegations against Bay Area Concrete. 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. Police shut down the site in September 2014. "It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time," Packal said. On June 16, PG&E CEO and President William Johnson pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to 84 counts of felony manslaughter and one count of failing to maintain the lines that caused the fire near Paradise, known as the Camp Fire. 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PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. In state filings, its business address was listed as 1580 Chabot Court in Hayward, where another of Singh and Johal's companies is located. In October, the Washington Department of Ecology ordered the company to keep its site clean and halt discharge of wastewater to storm drains. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened an investigation. PG&E dumped truckloads of slurry waste as they began digging up damaged gas lines. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. "It was pretty much out of control the entire time they were in operation," he said. - California utility PG&E, facing billions of dollars in potential liabilities over its role in. PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. Four days later, he retired. 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. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. 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. Bauters sat behind him, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. It can also be found online. Bay Area Concrete has denied the allegations of fraud and bribery in Paradise. You can cancel at any time. Hydro excavation trucks use pressurized water to dig around delicate equipment and avoid accidentally rupturing a gas pipeline or destroying buried wires. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. 32 years exp . The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally. The accused PG&E employees, Ronald Huggins Jr. and Ryan Kooistra, did not respond to requests for comment. 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. They founded their first hauling company, Economy Trucking Services, in 2004. 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. Yadwinder Singh, MD specializes in Internal Medicine at OhioHealth Physician Group in Circleville, OH. Copyright Weeklys All rights reserved. The wildfire grew rapidly, driven by winds that fanned flames across the region. In an interview, Simmons said that dust blowing into the ConXtech factory, where the company manufactures steel structures for health care facilities and office buildings, would interfere with their machinery. Dawn Sweatt, an attorney for Bay Area Concrete, said her clients "vehemently deny" the allegations by PG&E. Liked by Yadwinder singh Happy Shree Krishna Janmashtami #sparkbrains #janmashtami2021 #webdevelopment #searchengineoptimisation #webdesigning The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. Listing photos showed a home gym, billiard room and in-ground swimming pool with panoramic mountain views. Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. 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. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. Bay Area Concrete hired a manager of that site, Kevin Olivero, to be its CEO. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. The Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica first reported the exchange, which one expert described as possible money laundering. According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. PG&E did not say how much the utility believes it was overcharged by Bay Area Concrete as it continues to investigate. Bay Area Concrete's contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. His office accepts new patients and telehealth appointments. 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 employee, Ryan Kooistra, lost his job as PG&E went public with the allegations, according to industry insiders. According to PG&E's complaint, CCI did hauling work for Bay Area Concrete, which would submit invoices directly to PG&E. Filing 1 COMPLAINT against Bay Area Concrete, LLC, Bay Area Hyrovac, LLC, PMK Contractors LLC, Preet Johal, Yadwinder Singh (Filing fee $ 402, receipt number 0971-16273295). In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. Skip to Header OhioHealth Home / Find A Doctor / / Profile Packal said the arrangement resulted in substantial savings for PG&E in the labor and gas for trips to faraway disposal sites. "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. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 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. In February, PG&E CEO William Johnson publicly accused Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. Heres how the scheme worked, according to PG&Es allegations in court filings. 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. Kooistra sold his home in California in February and returned to Arizona, where he founded a pool cleaning business in May. Between December 2016 and October 2018, the city levied $59,500 in fines against Bay Area Concrete. According to the countercomplaint, Kooistra denied any wrongdoing or having an interest in the companies, despite the interest being disclosed in public records. A sign outside the Sacramento location warns state, city and county inspectors and code enforcement officers that they are not allowed to pass and must call for an escort. PG&E hired Bay Area Concrete to dispose of waste from hydrovac trucks special vacuum trucks that use pressurized water for precise excavation. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. 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. During public comment, Gerald Carroll, an attorney for another neighbor, D.W. Nicholson, pleaded with the commission to deny the appeal, citing concerns about the health of their employees from dust. The employee, Ryan Kooistra, lost his job as PG&E went public with the allegations, according to industry insiders. The site was shut down by police and its operator, James Lucero, was convicted of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. 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. 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. PG&E alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&Es contract with Bay Area Concrete. Bay Area Concrete appealed. Originally from Belgium, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at KU Leuven in his home country and then a doctorate in soil and water engineering from Cornell University in 1999. That year, the couple used a holding company to buy a property at 24701 Clawiter Road. Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Other Specialty (7) 2 Awards . According to PG&E's complaint, CCI did hauling work for Bay Area Concrete, which would submit invoices directly to PG&E. In selecting Bay Area Concrete for the environmentally sensitive job, however, PG&E ignored the firm's history of illegal dumping and conflict with regulators, as well as its employment of a senior manager connected to environmental crimes, according to interviews and a review of court records, public documents and business filings by the Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica. 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