California-based gasoline shipping company Lamb Fuels, Inc. is under fire for intentionally selling bad fuel to gas stations across the Golden State from 2012 to 2021. According to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Lamb Fuels was siphoning old waste fuel from wrecked cars, then illegally treating it, and selling it. Now, Lamb Fuels is facing criminal charges.
The charges being filed against Lamb Fuels CEO Gregory Lamb, Vice President Kezin Parabia, and General Manager Jeffrey Lisowski state that the three defendants worked with multiple scrapyards across California to provide their drivers with the waste fuel. According to SFGate, Lamb Fuels dropped off thousands of gallons of bad fuel to gas stations over a decade, which was then unknowingly put in customers’ cars, making the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“We have zero tolerance for people who knowingly and recklessly violate our hazardous waste laws, which are some of the strongest in the country. We are appalled by the gross negligence of Lamb Fuels and its management, who have demonstrated complete disregard for the environment and public safety,” said DTSC director Meredith Williams.
According to JD Power, regular gasoline has a maximum shelf life of around six months and it’s unclear how old the gas used by Lamb Fuels was. Bad gas can cause cars to run poorly, lose power, and even stall. It can also cause harmful buildups of gunk, damaging engine internals. But Lamb Fuels’ employees aren’t only being charged with conspiracy to transport waste fuels without a permit, they’re also being charged with illegally treating hazardous waste.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges and were ordered to self-surrender by February 26, while CEO Gregory Lamb surrendered his passport. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 7.
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