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.

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.