USDOJ: PG&E Indictment Obstruction Of The Investigation

PG&E Charged With Obstruction Of The Investigation Of The National Transportation Safety Board And Additional Violations Of The Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 29, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal grand jury for the Northern District of California returned a superseding indictment charging Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) with obstruction of the investigation of the National Transportation Safety Board ("NTSB"), as well as additional violations of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (PSA), announced U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge William Swallow, and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson.




The superseding indictment alleges that PG&E obstructed the NTSB's investigation that began immediately after the deadly San Bruno explosion. According to the superseding indictment, during the course of the NTSB's investigation, PG&E provided a version of a policy outlining the way in which PG&E addressed manufacturing threats on its pipelines. PG&E later withdrew that policy claiming it was produced in error, and was an unapproved draft. In fact, PG&E was operating under the so-called unapproved draft from 2009 through April 5, 2011. The consequence of this practice was that PG&E did not prioritize as high-risk, and properly assess, many of its oldest natural gas pipelines, which ran through urban and residential areas.

Additionally, the superseding indictment charges PG&E with 27 counts of knowingly and willfully violating the PSA. These charges stem from PG&E's record keeping and pipeline "integrity management" practices. The superseding indictment alleges that PG&E failed to address recordkeeping deficiencies concerning its larger natural gas pipelines knowing that their records were inaccurate or incomplete. The superseding indictment also alleges that PG&E failed to identify threats to its larger natural gas pipelines and that PG&E did not take appropriate actions to investigate the seriousness of threats to pipelines when they were identified. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that PG&E failed to adequately reprioritize and assess threatened pipelines after the pipelines were over pressurized as required by the PSA and its regulations.

PG&E is charged with one count of obstruction of an agency proceeding in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1505, and 27 separate counts of violations of the PSA. The maximum statutory penalty for each count is a $500,000 fine or a fine based on the twice the gross gain PG&E made as a result of the violations, or twice the losses suffered by the victims. The superseding indictment alleges that PG&E derived gross gains of $281 million, and victims suffered losses of approximately $565 million. PG&E is next scheduled to appear on August 18, 2014 before the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson, United States District Judge.




Kim A. Berger and Hallie M. Hoffman are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Alycee Lane and Pat Mahoney, along with Deputy Attorneys General Brett Morris and Deborah Halberstadt from the California Attorney General's Office. The prosecution is the result of an investigation conducted by the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, and the city of San Bruno Police Department.

Please note, an indictment contains only allegations and, as with all defendants, PG&E must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

(PG&E superseding indictment )

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Las Lomas Triangle– The Vortex Under Mt. Diablo

Walnut Creek CA:  The City of Walnut Creek portrays itself as a Destination City but all the good work staffers have done is about to be undone by what this blogger knows, has discovered and is connected to.  My primary is protecting residents from what could be a serial killer or serial killer group. 

 

The Las Lomas Timeline Chart

 

The The Alicia and Jineva Driscoll Murders or Murder Suicide occurred in June 2005 but Alicia Driscoll lived on Norris Road Walnut Creek and the Williams lived on Blackwood where they were a stones throw apart.  Around the corner lived Tim Hogan (Friend) and near him was Gavin Powell residence, then due west was Banta Jr. then due West the 1989 Murder of Tamara Moats, then in the middle is the Ross Parking lost where SFPD Officer Lester Garnier was murdered in 1988 but that parking lot shares a property border with the creek controlled by the US Army Corp of Engineers where a unknown Female Unsub jumped nearly to her death but 500 feet up the creek another Male Unsub was found in 45 degree water requiring a swift water rescue but near another creek overpass, then three homeless died under the bridge, three were hit by cars and several injured where the victims went to attorneys but didn’t get any settlements.  

 

It’s part of the tactics with the Contra Costa Bar Association which is a network of attorneys that control the Probate Courts and Processes, Wills Trusts and Estates over to Family Law Center there so many murder/suicides it’s hard to comprehend incidents like this have been missed.

 

But the developers got their multi-use / Multi-Story Condos and they will make a lot of money while the State of California and United States Federal Government has funded over 10,000,000 in medical bills for those permanently injured from being run over and nearly killed.  A long term care patient is valued at 150K per year and it’s easy to generate revenue – takes a few days to line and crush up new residents for processing. 

 

 

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