State suing several Tahoe gas station owners
By Kathryn Reed
Several Lake Tahoe gas station owners are being sued by the state of California for allegedly mishandling underground storage tanks.
The State Water Resources Control Board has been after many of these defendants for years, with fines being levied in the past.
Besides tanks in El Dorado and Placer counties, the defendants also own property in Contra Costa, Sacramento and Yolo counties that are part of the lawsuit.
Owners of the Swiss Mart on Emerald Bay in South Lake Tahoe are being sued by the state.
According to a press release, the Attorney General’s Office “is seeking a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and other equitable relief to remedy numerous violations observed at the facilities. Applying the minimum civil penalty of $500 per-day per-tank for each violation, the penalties could reach several million dollars.”
Lake Tahoe properties include:
• 1140 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe – American Oil.
• 3208 Highway 50, Meyers – Meyers Beacon.
• 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe – South Lake Tahoe Mobile.
• 913 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe – Swiss Mart.
• 8070 North Lake Blvd., Kings Beach – North Tahoe Station, TransAm, North Tahoe Beacon, North Tahoe Mobil.
The 30-page complaint says Azad Amiri and Sarbjit Singh Kang were the masterminds behind everything, including using family and friends as “strawmen” as a way to “conceal their actual ownership, operation and control of the real properties.”
They are accused of failing to install and/or maintain automatic line leak detectors on underground-pressurized pipes that carry a hazardous substance at six locations, including 1140 Emerald Bay Road, 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd. and 8070 North Lake Blvd. This would violate several state Health and Safety Codes.
At the above locations, and in Meyers and the Swiss Mart they are accused of failing to test and certify underground storage tank monitoring equipment.
They face several other charges related to how they operated the stations and storage tanks.
The complains also alleges they: commingled funds and other assets, failed to segregate funds of the separate entities, diverted corporate funds or assets without authority, failed to maintain adequate corporate records, used the corporate entity to procure labor-service-merchandise for another person, manipulated assets between entities, and used a corporation as subterfuge of illegal actions.
The complaint lists the following people connected to Lake Tahoe:
- Azad Amiri owned properties at 1140 Emerald Bay Road and 913 Emerald Bay Road, both in South Lake Tahoe. He owned or operated the underground storage tanks at these locations.
- Dilpal Singh Dhillon is the owner of the property and underground storage tanks at 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.
- Satar Hidarinejd was an officer, director or member or partner of Aria Oil Company that operated the underground storage tanks at 1140 Emerald Bay Road.
- Darshan Singh Kang, who lives in El Dorado County, was an officer or partner in South Tahoe Station Inc. and North Tahoe Station Inc. He has been at least a partial owner of the 3208 Highway 50 property in Meyers that locals know better as the Tveten parcel. Kang was responsible for operating the underground storage tanks there.
- Kaur Kang also has an interest in the Meyers parcel as well as the 913 Emerald Bay properties; and was an operator of the underground storage tanks.
- Sarbjit Singh Kang, a resident of El Dorado County, was partner or director for Kang Property Inc, North Tahoe Station Inc., South Tahoe Station Incl., and Tahoe 3208 Highway 50 Corp. He was part owner of the Meyers property, 913 Emerald Bay, 1140 Emerald Bay, and 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
- Darshan S. Singh of El Dorado County is part owner of the Meyers property.
- Parmjit Singh is part owner of the 1140 Emerald Bay and 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd. properties.
- Rajinder Singh was a director or officer in North Tahoe Station Inc.
- Raman S. Singh was part owner of the 2304 Lake Tahoe Blvd. property.
Companies with Tahoe ties that have been named include: Ameri Oil Company, Dara Petroleum Inc., Emerald Business Group Inc., Kang Property Inc., Meyers Holding Co., North Tahoe Station Inc., South Tahoe Station Inc., Tahoe 3208 Highway 50 Corp., Tahoe Blue LLC, Tahoe Blue Property Inc., and Tahoe Station Inc.
This has been going on for many years. The Tveten property I know pretty well personally, as I had $$$ invested in a Note signed by Joe, unfortunately the Note was not backed up by property, so I lost all the $$ when Joe died (murdered???). I saw the ‘new’ tanks and piping, etc., being installed, remember telling Joe how the piping was not going to last, and would likely leak, Joe told me the State insisted it had to be done exactly the way they and the Federal Government said…with the specific seals, etc., and, I confirmed this. Joe was sometimes a rather unpleasant guy, and surely had his $$$$$ problems, over and over, with the State, and County, regarding that Gas Station. He was quite a character.
Bob, yea Tveten was a bad deal all around.
But here’s what I don’t get about this article, are they going after him because there are leaks or because of something else. What the heck does mishandling of tanks mean?
From what I understand only certain contractors have to install these tanks and there are inspections along the way. So what is the allegation, that these tanks were installed, inspected, passed, buried, then what? Dug up? Are they saying they dug up these tanks and dis something to them? They aren’t above ground tanks. I see nothing saying there is a leak and Lahaton (sp?) can track that down easy.
If there is no leak then your complaint is oblique!
Tveten was a character and a fraud. He was not murdered, he hung himself after owing DMV over $300k. As far as these foreigners polluting our ground water, they should be deported back to their own pathetic run down country. These fools have ZERO regard for our environment and couldn’t care less about what they are doing to us. These jerks have been shady since day one here. I hope they get what’s coming to them.
I had a hand in closing them down at Tvetens old place years ago. And one tried to tell me he wasn’t living in the little cabin next to Tvetens. The evidence clearly showed he was a liar!
OK so Joe T. was a bit of a different character. Agreed.
I knew him well.
But why, based on the content of this article is everyone going off on a dead guy?
Sounds like the agencies and the state have been a little lax in keeping track of their own permits.
I would like to see an explanation of that.
Kit, more than a little bigotry spilling off your keyboard. Chill. I am a lot more afraid of the white guys elected to office than I am about the Indians, Pakistani etc you are going off on.
@Kit. “Foreigners”, “run down countries”. What the hell are you talking about? You think you have ‘regard’ for humanity? YOU HAVE TO RESPECT OTHERS BEFORE YOU TALK ABOUT RESPECTING THE ENVIRONMENT! Remember that you are a “foreigner” too. This is Native American land, not the white man’s. So get the stepping.
In califirnia, you have to have certain air quality- EVR phase 1 and 2, as well as line leak detectors, and ISD system to monitor all of it against leaks, pressure loss, etc. There is also mandatory monthly testing of the system, which is costly. They have some EVR, but not the ISD, which is what is important. I doubt they have double wall tanks and lines, which is the new norm. Also, they most likely don’t have the tub under the dispenser as is now code. Amongst many other issues, the state is very very nasty about this to everyone, its exponentially worse in places like tahoe…..