AUSTIN, TX -- The Texas attorney general filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing a gas station company of diluting medium- and premium-grade fuel with regular unleaded at 143 stations.
The lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against Petroleum Wholesale L.P. and related defendants says they falsified octane levels, defrauded customers and violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
"Attorney General Greg Abbott is attempting to protect Texas taxpayers' pocketbooks," said Abbott spokeswoman Lauri Saathoff.
The lawsuit is the third enforcement action by the state against the company, which did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
The state is seeking a temporary and permanent injunction against the defendants to stop such activities. The state also is seeking civil penalties of up to $20,000 for each violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Saathoff said it has not yet been determined how many penalties they will bring against the company.
The lawsuit said the attorney general's office found that the defendants diluted fuel in more than 1,000 instances, with the majority of such "cross-dumping" incidents happening in and around Houston.
The incidents happened between 2005 and 2008. Abbott said in a news release that as of Thursday, the defendants haven't provided the state with documents after 2008.
The defendants operate Sunmart Travel Centers & Convenience Stores and about 80 other service stations licensed by the state to sell fuel under branding agreements with three major fuel companies.
The state also found the defendants were selling unbranded fuel at branded stations, where brand-name products with performance-enhancing additives are advertised. Abbott said the defendants hid this practice from the branded fuel providers.
Abbott's office also found that the defendants were improperly selling conventional fuel instead of the reformulated fuel intended to reduce carbon-monoxide emissions that's required by the federal Clean Air Act for areas like Houston that exceed certain air quality levels.
Last year, a Harris County jury returned a $30 million verdict against Petroleum Wholesale, accusing them of calibrating their gas pumps to deliver less than a full gallon of fuel. Saathoff said that although a judge then ordered a mistrial, the state has asked the newly appointed judge to overrule the mistrial and reinstate the jury verdict.
In 2009, Petroleum Wholesale was ordered to pay $100,000 for violating state identity theft prevention laws.
Below is a list of all houston-area stations suspected of selling improperly mixed fuels.
Fort Bend County
J & C Mobil 502 Fm 1092 Stafford Tx 77477
Sunmart #125 28111 Sw Fwy Rosenberg Tx 77471
Sunmart #131 24985 Katy Frwy Katy Tx 77494
Arcola Food Mart 13218 Hwy 6 Arcola Tx 77583
Stephen's Food Store 14607 Hillcroft St Missouri City Tx 77489
Pump N Go 9401 S Hwy 6 Houston Tx 77083
Galveston County
Broadway Mobil 2227 Broadway Galveston Tx 77550
Sunmart #124 1000 Fm 1764 @ Ih 45 La Marque Tx 77568
Sunmart #192 4902 W Main St League City Tx 77573
Triple Star Mobil 2255 W Parkwood Friendswood Tx 77546
Plantation #19 1801 W Main St League City Tx 77573
7-Week Day 2302 Cedar Dr La Marque Tx 77568
Lamarque Food 720 Highway 3 Lamarque Tx 77568
Sunmart #110 14834 N Frwy Houston Tx 77073
Sunmart #117 3411 Fm 1960 E Humble Tx 77338
Sunmart #119 7102 North Fwy Houston Tx 77076
Sunmart #128 15411 Wallisville Rd Houston Tx 77049
Sunmart #129 9404 North Fwy Houston Tx 77088
Sunmart #132 1110 N Sam Houston Pkwy W Houston Tx 77038
Sunmart #133 9004 North Fwy Houston Tx 77037
Sunmart #134 9161 Wallisville Rd Houston Tx 77029
Sunmart #136 1001 Ih 10 E Highlands Tx 77562
Sunmart #138 10611 Ih 10 E Houston Tx 77029
Sunmart #139 3200 Holcombe Blvd Houston Tx 77021
Sunmart #141 14711 S Main @ Fondren Houston Tx 77035
Sunmart #146 10755 Veterans Memorial Dr Houston Tx 77038
Sunmart #147 8201 North Fwy Houston Tx 77037
Sunmart #148 435 North Loop W Houston Tx 77008
Sunmart #149 14502 East Fwy Houston Tx 77015
Sunmart #150 1731 Federal Rd Houston Tx 77015
Sunmart #151 6333 Mlk Blvd Houston Tx 77021
Sunmart #152 12600 S Gessner @ W Beltway Houston Tx 77071
Sunmart #153 4605 W Tidwell Rd Houston Tx 77092
Sunmart #154 4350 Airline Dr Houston Tx 77022
Sunmart #155 5797 N Belt Houston Tx 77032
Sunmart #156 4615 N Shepherd Dr Houston Tx 77018
Sunmart #157 3 Greens Rd Houston Tx 77060
Sunmart #158 3003 Spears Road Houston Tx 77067
Sunmart #159 6900 N Loop E Houston Tx 77028
Sunmart #165 411 Richmond Ave Houston Tx 77002
Sunmart #171 5122 N Mccarty St Houston Tx 77013
Mobil #179 15920 Stuebner Airline Spring Tx 77379
Sunmart #190 702 Rankin Rd Houston Tx 77073
Sunmart #195 110 Ella St Tomball Tx 77375
Sunmart #196 1520 Barker Cypress Rd Houston Tx 77084
Amindus Service 1818 Fry Rd Houston Tx 77084
Dairy Ashford Mobil 3151 S Dairy Ashford Houston Tx 77082
Sunmart #201 8110 N Sam Houston Pkwy W Houston Tx 77064
Sunmart #218 1217 Uvalde Rd Houston Tx 77015
Sunmart #231 5716 North Fwy Houston Tx 77076
Sunmart #288 2715 Strawberry Rd Pasadena Tx 77502
Sunmart #290 6802 Cullen Blvd Houston Tx 77021
Sunmart #291 8210 Cullen Blvd Houston Tx 77051
Sunmart #292 6402 Mykawa Rd Houston Tx 77033
Sunmart #293 3810 Liberty Rd Houston Tx 77026
Sunmart #295 6420 Gulf Fwy Houston Tx 77023
Sunmart #302 2002 Dowling St Houston Tx 77025
Tri's #303 8902 Airport Blvd Houston Tx 77061
Sunmart #304 10910 Airline Dr Houston Tx 77037
610 Mobil #305 4423 San Felipe @ Loop 610 Houston Tx 77027
Jeffy's Mobil 8015 East Fwy @ Mccarty Houston Tx 77029
Sunmart #312 14222 Hempstead Rd Houston Tx 77040
Sunmart #314 7614 Lyons Ave Houston Tx 77020
Sunmart #317 3033 Elgin St Houston Tx 77004
Sunmart #318 3305 Dowling St Houston Tx 77045
Spencer Mobil 601 Spencer Hwy South Houston Tx 77587
Sunmart #325 8506 Mesa Dr Houston Tx 77028
Village Mobil 8819 Katy Fwy Hedwig Village Tx 77024
Downtown Mobil 1818 Hamilton Houston Tx 77003
Cullen Mobil 9421 Cullen Houston Tx 77051
Steve's Mobil 5216 Richmond Houston Tx 77056
Yellowstone Mobil 3300 Yellowstone Blvd Houston Tx 77021
Fondren Mobil 5725 Fondren Houston Tx 77036
Hughes Rd Mobil 10840 Hughes Road Houston Tx 77089
Lucky Stop & Save 8795 Antoine Dr #101 Houston Tx 77088
Jeffy's Mobil 3506 Elgin Houston Tx 77004
Sunmart #361 9199 North Loop E Houston Tx 77029
Sunmart #367 13603 Bellaire Blvd Houston Tx 77083
Chimney Rock @ Sw Fwy 5601 Sw Freeway Houston Tx 77057
Stella Link Mobil 9403 Stella Link @ Loop 610 Houston Tx 77025
Sunmart #374 12315 Fm 1960 E Huffman Tx 77336
Forest West Mobil 5805 Pinemont Houston Tx 77092
Hillcroft Mobil 7802 Hillcroft Houston Tx 77081
Roberts Mobil Car 3802 Westheimer @ Weslayan Houston Tx 77027
Med Center Mobil 2424 Old Spanish Trail Houston Tx 77054
Chawla's Mobil 3501 Eastex Frwy Houston Tx 77026
Sunmart #390 9105 Telephone Rd Houston Tx 77075
Oak Forest Mobil 1201 W 43Rd St @ Ella Houston Tx 77018
Ct Mobil #395 8435 Tidwell Rd Houston Tx 77028
Choi's Mobil 3000 Decker Drive Baytown Tx 77520
Khalil's Mobil 2310 Alexander Baytown Tx 77520
Mega Express 4031 Fm 2920 Spring Tx 77373
Hospeti Mobil 6901 Spencer Hwy Pasadena Tx 77505
Bissonnet Mobil 12697 Bissonet Houston Tx 77099
Heights Mobil 1622 W 18Th Street Houston Tx 77008
Sunmart #410 5946 E Mount Houston Rd Houston Tx 77050
Sunmart #416 5051 Yale St Houston Tx 77013
Kingwood Mobil 1090 Kingwood Drive Kingwood Tx 77339
Sunmart #421 2405 Kelley St Houston Tx 77026
Sunmart #422 5709 Lyons Ave Houston Tx 77020
Sunmart #424 9140 Eastex Fwy Houston Tx 77093
Sunmart #436 8559 Hwy 6 South Houston Tx 77083
Sunmart #440 3 Evanston St Houston Tx 77015
Sunmart #442 5623 Aldine Bender Rd Houston Tx 77032
Sunmart #443 10841 Bissonnet St Houston Tx 77099
Sunmart #445 3716 Greenhouse Rd Houston Tx 77084
Sunmart #447 1130 Freeport St Houston Tx 77015
Sunmart #451 2221 Ella Blvd Houston Tx 77008
Sunmart #457 14049 Eastex Fwy Houston Tx 77032
Sunmart #459 6839 Navigation Blvd Houston Tx 77011
Sunmart #476 1214 N Belt E Houston Tx 77032
All In One Food Store 3606 Irvington Houston Tx 77009
Champions Car Care 4450 Fm 1960 West Houston Tx 77068
Express Food 16811 Theiss Mail Rd Spring Tx 77379
Liberty County
Sunmart #480 102 S Washington Cleveland Tx 77327
Montgomery County
Sunmart #116 24627 Ih 45 Woodlands Tx 77380
Sunmart #144 28677 Ih 45 N Spring Tx 77381
Sunmart #194 660 Sawdust Rd The Woodlands Tx 77380
Ratan Stores Inc 1240 N Loop 336 West Conroe Tx 77301
Sunmart #419 50 Tram Rd Hwy 2090 Splendora Tx 77372
Hanna Food Store 27455 Hanna Road Oak Ridge N Tx 77386
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/state&id=8313955
State of Texas AG accuses company of diluting gasoline!!
Discussion in 'Other News' started by drvrtech77, Aug 19, 2011.
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Maybe it was a dislexic driver that got his tanks mixed up?
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