California drivers may have filled cars with bad gas for years, officials say – By Ariana Bindman (SFGate) / Feb 2, 2024
The alleged scheme likely affected gas stations throughout the state
Drivers across California may have been unknowingly filling their cars with contaminated gas from scrap yards for years, officials said, unveiling a statewide scheme that’s suspected to have illegally generated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Lamb Fuels, Inc., a petroleum transportation company based in Southern California, was accused of illegally siphoning fuel from wrecked and abandoned vehicles, treating it, and selling it to multiple gas stations across the state, a Jan. 29 press release from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control said.
Company CEO Gregory Lamb, vice president Kezin Parabia and general manager Jeffrey Lisowski “grossly profited from this widespread, sophisticated scheme” from 2012 to 2021, according to the department. The recent criminal complaint filed against the company and its employees shows just how widespread the alleged scheme may have been: The DTSC said that it affected communities throughout California, including disadvantaged areas like East Oakland and the Central Valley.
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