According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. The site was shut down by police and its operator, James Lucero, was convicted of violations of the federal Clean Water Act. 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 company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder Kevin Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. PG&E alleges that Kooistra and Huggins steered PG&E contracts to Bay Area Concrete and other companies controlled by Singh and Johal. 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. Neighbors complained about dust blowing off a massive pile of crushed concrete. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concretes work in Paradise. PG&E has initiated an internal review to determine why this wasnt detected earlier, and we will be enhancing our protocols to ensure this doesnt happen again, a PG&E spokesperson wrote. 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. He is very compassionate and Caring. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. In state filings, its business address was listed as 1580 Chabot Court in Hayward, where another of Singh and Johal's companies is located. ", "We will pursue every available action to remedy the situation and do right by those that we have the privilege to serve," Noonan said. The employee, Ryan Kooistra, lost his job as PG&E went public with the allegations, according to industry insiders. In business meetings, Singh tends to take the reins, while Johal listens quietly, occasionally asking a question. View the profiles of people named Yadwinder Singh. 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 16 years, the pair's. 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's contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. "It stunned us," Packal said. 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. 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. There are 800+ professionals named "Yadwinder Singh", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. 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. "We will pursue every available action to remedy the situation and do right by those that we have the privilege to serve," Noonan said. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. But two industry sources with knowledge of Bay Area Concrete's work in Paradise identified Kooistra as the PG&E employee accused of receiving gifts. "Everything was focused on the core competency of what we do.". "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. 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. Yadwinder has three known connections and has the most companies in common with Sabrina Hamipi. In 2017, Bay Area Concrete opened new slurry waste disposal facilities in Richmond and Sacramento. Dr. Yadwinder Singh is a Internist in Circleville, OH. One supervisor for PG&E allegedly had his driveway paved on the power companys dime. "We built that site in Paradise for [PG&E], growing an entire site dedicated to rebuilding Paradise," Packal said. 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. PG&Es filing is in response to a breach of contract lawsuit filed against the utility in October by Bay Area Concrete. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). "You need to know what you need to do to control this dust. 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. Dust from recycled concrete, she said, may have polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, carcinogens that were banned in 1978. The blaze burned for weeks, destroyed 18,804 structures and killed 85 people. 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. 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. The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concretes purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. But Lucero wasn't interested. You can cancel at any time. 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. 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. 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. Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more. Singh and Johal wanted to negotiate an exclusive contract to dump on the property. 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. 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. In a statement, PG&E spokesperson James Noonan called the alleged actions of Bay Area Concrete "completely unacceptable.". The Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica first reported the exchange, which one expert described as possible money laundering. "It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time," 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. Is the Stanley Quencher tumbler worth its TikTok hype? 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. (Another skier died on the same slope that same weekend.) 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 alleges that Huggins approved false invoices and concealed fraudulent charges throughout PG&E's contract with Bay Area Concrete. 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. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. During the 2018 trial, he testified that Lucero had hired him in June 2014 to run the site. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. 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. Driven by gusts of up to 36 mph, the fire was heading straight for Paradise. In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. 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. Another shell company, CCI Management, was owned by Kooistra and acted as a subcontractor for Bay Area Concrete in Paradise. In a statement posted to the company's website, he accused PG&E of falsifying accusations to avoid paying bills. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. Neither the memos nor media reports identified the employees. Dr. Yadwinder Singh, MD . The dumpsite proved its worth in October 2019, when a 77,000-acre blaze known as the Kincade fire broke out north of Santa Rosa. The couple did not respond to requests for comment via mail, phone, email and social media. In February, PG&E CEO William Johnson publicly accused Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. 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 wrote he was concerned rocks would tumble onto his property and hit someone. 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations, until WED 9:00 AM PST, Mendocino County Coast, until WED 8:00 AM PST, Carquinez Strait and Delta, from THU 2:00 AM PST until THU 8:00 AM PST, Carquinez Strait and Delta, from WED 1:00 AM PST until WED 8:00 AM PST, North Bay interior valleys, East Bay Interior Valleys, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Mountains and Los Padres National Forest, from THU 12:00 AM PST until THU 9:00 AM PST, Mendocino County Coast, High Stakes: Sports Betting in California, Japanese startup announces balloon flights taking passengers up to space. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). "We're a hypergrowing company, we were exploding," Packal said. 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. He graduated from GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY / MEDICAL COLLEGE in 1991. Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Other Specialty (7) 2 Awards . It can also be found online. According to PG&Es complaint, CCI did hauling work for Bay Area Concrete, which would submit invoices directly to PG&E. The full investigation is available at ProPublica.org. According to the disposal company, it racked up $14 million in unpaid invoices. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. 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 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. / CBS San Francisco, by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. Anything. And it's not being done." 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. In 2019, they leased land on Treasure Island in the San . In 2018, Singh and Johal acquired a property in Tracy in California's Central Valley and opened new facilities in Seattle and San Jose. 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