The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concretes purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. Dust from recycled concrete, she said, may have polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, carcinogens that were banned in 1978. PG&E alleges that Kooistra and Huggins steered PG&E contracts to Bay Area Concrete and other companies controlled by Singh and Johal. And it's not being done." Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. However, on Feb. 14, he died in what investigators said was a snowboarding accident in Oregon's backcountry slopes. 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. Here's how the scheme worked, according to PG&E's allegations in court filings. 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. The employee, Ryan Kooistra, lost his job as PG&E went public with the allegations, according to industry insiders. Listing photos showed a home gym, billiard room and in-ground swimming pool with panoramic mountain views. 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. You have permission to edit this article. 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. 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. Skip to Header OhioHealth Home / Find A Doctor / / Profile 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. Journalist Camille Von Kaenel explains on The Four. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. He is affiliated with medical facilities such as Adena Regional Medical Center and Berger Hospital. Dr. Yadwinder Singh is a Internist in Circleville, OH. By then, Singh and Johal's Hayward site included the slurry disposal operation, the hauling business and the unpermitted concrete recycling business. "It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time," Packal said. 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. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. Neither the memos nor media reports identified the employees. The company has had its headquarters in Hayward since 2012, where it operated an unpermitted concrete recycling plant from 2013 until it was shut down last year after years of fighting with the city. 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. Singh and Johal built a slurry dumpsite at a PG&E substation in Petaluma, a small town about 40 miles north of San Francisco. 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. Singh and Johal's companies also have a history of not cooperating with inspectors. Copyright 2020 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Neither Singh, Johal nor Olivero attended the Hayward Planning Commission hearing on Nov. 8, 2018. In an interview, Bay Area Concrete operations manager Chris Packal argued that there were legitimate differences in opinion over what zoning allowed for the site in Hayward. He wrote he was concerned rocks would tumble onto his property and hit someone. 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. Corporate records unearthed by the news organizations reveal new details about the alleged schemes. He argued that there were legitimate differences in opinion over what zoning allowed for the site in Hayward. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- 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. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to ash and rubble. 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. They show that while the 2018 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. Two days later, Kooistra quit his job, according to the complaint. 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. In a statement posted to the company's website, he accused PG&E of falsifying accusations to avoid paying bills. PG&E alleges that Huggins was aware of Kooistas actions and did not disclose them. Two days later, Kooistra quit his job, according to the complaint. In 16 years, the pair's. 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. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said last year that PG&E alerted his office to the allegations against Bay Area Concrete. 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. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. He received $10 to $15 per truckload. 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. Bay Area Concrete CEO Kevin Olivero declined to be interviewed. 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. My Official Page - Yadwinder Singh #14 Power Forward for Indian Senior Men's Basketball Team; Haryana Gold at UBA & Zarkawt BCA at MSL. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. The site was shut down by police and its operator, James Lucero, was convicted of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. 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. 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. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concretes contracts with PG&E increased exponentially over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. Another shell company, CCI Management, was owned by Kooistra and acted as a subcontractor for Bay Area Concrete in Paradise. 1 Sabrina Hamipi 1 Inderbir Kaur 1 Inderbir Kour Excel Known Addresses for Yadwinder Singh 24701 Clawiter Rd Hayward, CA 94545 255 Happy Valley Rd Pleasanton, CA 94566 PO Box 1603 Union City, CA 94587 Advertisements Source California Secretary of State 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In 16 years, the pair's. In state filings, its business address was listed as 1580 Chabot Court in Hayward, where another of Singh and Johal's companies is located. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The county cited the company for illegal importation of dirt used in construction. 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. "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. Please enter valid email address to continue. The couple did not respond to requests for comment via mail, phone, email and social media. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. 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. 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. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. 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. He filed complaints with the Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding five different disposal sites. Four days later, he retired. PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. 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. In 16 years, the pair's business empire has grown from a single trucking firm to more than a dozen companies operating in 11 cities throughout the West Coast. 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. Yadwinder has three known connections and has the most companies in common with Sabrina Hamipi. 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. One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power company's dime. (Another skier died on the same slope that same weekend.) Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. Trucks began dumping potentially toxic slurry at the disposal site, which did not require environmental review as an emergency project and helped speed cleanup operations. His duties included collecting money from contractors dumping dirt and demolition debris and using a bulldozer to spread the dumped material. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. 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. PG&E did not say how much the utility believes it was overcharged by Bay Area Concrete as it continues to investigate. 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. 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. 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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