Pierce County business owner ordered to pay over $360K over gas station scam

A Pierce County business owner will have to pay more than $360,000 for scamming gas station owners.

The Washington State Attorney General’s (AG) Office said in a news release Monday that Kevin Wilkerson and his companies have been ordered to pay $360,741 in penalties for “unlawfully charging gas station owners for unfinished, unnecessary or shoddy work on underground fuel storage tanks.”

The release stated, “Wilkerson collected payment from the small businesses for work he did not perform or performed so poorly the businesses had to pay thousands more to other companies for the same services.”

According to the AG’s Office, there are nine gas stations owed money by Wilkerson and his companies, Northwest Environmental Services and Core Environmental Group.

“In many cases, Wilkerson stopped responding to the owners of the gas stations when they attempted to contact him and refused to refund what they paid,” the AG’s Office said.

Every gas station owner, except for one, identifies as Korean or South Asian. The gas stations are located in Pierce, King, Snohomish, Thurston, Grays Harbor and Lewis counties.

“Wilkerson collected payment from the small businesses for work he did not perform or performed so poorly the businesses had to pay thousands more to other companies for the same services,” the release stated. “In many cases, Wilkerson stopped responding to the owners of the gas stations when they attempted to contact him and refused to refund what they paid.”

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An Olympia gas station owner, who immigrated to the U.S. 40 years ago, recalled working with Wilkerson.

“(Wilkerson) took my money and then didn’t respond to me and made excuses,” the owner told the AG’s Office. “I trusted him. He was supposed to be an expert in the field. He was supposed to know what he’s doing. If he had said something needed to be done, I listened and asked him to do it because I relied on his word. Instead, (Wilkerson) and NES did work they were not qualified to do and cost me thousands of dollars in the process.”

According to Judge Clarence Henderson, Jr., Wilkerson violated the state Consumer Protection Act. Along with paying the $360,741 — which includes $195,000 in civil penalties for harming individuals in Washington based on their national origin — Wilkerson and his companies must stop all unlawful conduct or face more fines.

The news release stated Wilkerson’s companies advertise maintenance services for underground storage tanks, used by gas stations across Washington to store fuel. Additionally, service providers for this type of work must be certified, follow state regulations and report their services to the Department of Ecology (DOE).

Wilkerson and his companies advertised a “skilled and certified in-house team” that “performs to the highest standard” and that his scam dates back to 2015.

The AG’s Office added that Wilkerson accepted payment for services that were not complete or partially complete, completing services that violated regulations and exposed customers to liability for environmental damages, misrepresented certifications to customers, persuaded gas station owners to purchase and install unnecessary equipment and make necessary repairs and telling gas station owners they had submitted paperwork to the DOE when they had not.

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A gas station owner in Toledo paid Wilkerson a $50,000 deposit to install underground fuel storage tanks. However, Wilkerson did not apply for the permit and the gas station owner had to end up paying an additional $7,000 to store them above ground.

A gas station owner in Olympia had a similar story about working with Wilkerson.

The DOE originally requested the help of the AG’s Office after receiving numerous complaints about Wilkerson. While nine gas station owners are being compensated by Wilkerson, the AG’s Office believes there are more. Both the AG’s Office and the DOE are continuing to investigate.

To report harm by Wilkerson or his companies, contact the AG’s Office at civilrights@agt.wa.gov or call 1-833-660-4877. To report a complaint to the DOE’s underground storage tank program, email tanks@ecy.wa.gov to call 800-826-7716.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.