Eagle Rock Gas Station Owners Charged with Selling Bad Gas

LOS ANGELES, CA - City Attorney Mike Feuer announced criminal charges today against the owners of an Eagle Rock gas station, who allegedly sold substandard gasoline that damaged at least eight cars last year.

Akop Akopyan and Gloria Cubides, both 54, and their delivery company, MJ Tank Lines Inc., are scheduled to be arraigned March 24 on six counts of misrepresenting the gasoline's grade and quality, Feuer said.

The owners of the former 76 station at 1871 Colorado Blvd. face up to 2 1/2 years in jail and $5,000 in fines if convicted.

Eight customers' vehicles broke down after being filled up with gasoline at the Eagle Rock station last year, according to Feuer. Mechanics pointed to the gasoline as the problem, and an investigation by the California Department of Weights and Measures determined that fuel sold at the gas station contained large amounts of water and sediment, the suit alleges.

"Substandard gasoline puts drivers at risk of serious car malfunctions, or even accidents," Feuer said. "We're going to hold any gas station or supplier that cuts corners and harms consumers accountable for their illegal practices."

The gas station is no longer under the 76 branding, according to Feuer spokesman Frank Mateljan.

City News Service