National Distribution Services, Wholesale Distribution, owner Carl Johansson and employees Enrique Garcia and Donald Spicer were indicted in U.S. District Court.
Two trucking companies, an owner and two employees have been charged in California with conducting illegal repairs on cargo tanks used to transport gasoline.
National Distribution Services (NDSI), Wholesale Distribution (WDI), Carl Johansson, Enrique Garcia and Donald Spicer were indicted April 25 in U.S. District Court, Central District of California on charges they conspired to defeat federal transportation laws.
All five defendants were charged with participating in a scheme to conduct illegal repairs on cargo tanks used to transport gasoline — which in one case resulted in a fatal explosion — and obstructing DOT investigations into those activities.
According to the indictment, in 2014, two welders were repairing a cargo tanker at NDSI when it exploded. One welder was killed and another was seriously injured. NDSI did not have the proper licenses to weld cargo tanks, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General said. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an out-of-service order to NDSI and put about 37 cargo tankers out of service.
NDSI was controlled and operated by Johansson. Garcia was the shop manager, and Spicer was the safety manager, the Office of Inspector General said.
In early 2015, NDSI allegedly transformed into WDI, which began conducting business as a hazardous materials trucking company. Johansson managed WDI, and Garcia and Spicer had the same roles they’d had at NDSI. Spicer registered WDI with FMCSA, but he did not identify the previous affiliation with NDSI. Specifically, he indicated on the registration paperwork that WDI’s management was not associated with any previous entity, according to the indictment.
The Office of Inspector General is conducting the investigation with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.
California companies charged with illegal tank repairs
