Southwest Gas, CEOs Implicated in Racketeering, Witness Intimidation

Southwest gas CEO Karen Haller, NPL CEO Paul Daly, as well as former Southwest Gas CEO John Hester and several subordinates and delegates have been implicated in a massive multi-state Racketeering and Fraud scheme, witnesses have reported.

Victims, Witnesses and their families and neighbors have been harassed, attacked, stalked, and intimidated into staying silent about what has been described as fraudulent and unnecessary construction work as well as destruction of property involving hundreds of residential and business properties across Southwest Gas's service area in Las Vegas, Nevada, and beyond, due to unauthorized and unnecessary construction work and unnecessary gas pipeline replacement at residences in Las Vegas.

The fraudulent construction work, performed by NPL (Northern Pipeline Construction) and Southwest gas subsidiary Centuri group, was first reported as a complaint filed with the Las Vegas police in 2021 by a Witness that returned to his property and found that the exterior of his house has been largely destroyed by illegal, unapproved and unnecessary gas pipeline replacement at his house. The witness had previously warned Southwest Gas not to enter the property multiple times, however employees of NPL, who were reportedly stalking residents deemed to be absent from their homes, waited for the resident to leave town and used the opportunity to enter the property and engage in illegal and unnecessary gas pipeline replacement. Damage was also reported to city properties adjacent to private properties subject to such work.

Southwest Gas is reportedly not responding to complaints by residents while retaliating and refusing to complete unfinished construction work and damage to private properties owned by victims, instead delegating the matter to out of state agents who will not take action on the complaints and who refuse to refer the matter to attorneys in order to allegedly avert attention to existing litigation related to fraudulent construction racketeering and price fixing against gas customers in Nevada.

The complainants, who are seeking legal action against Southwest Gas in Nevada as well as its agents hired to "harass and intimidate victims even when they are out of state" and its subsidiaries have been implicated in unnecessary pipeline replacements at private residences in Nevada whereby contractors working for its fully owned subsidiary NPL are continually and illegally entering private residences while stalking residents and identifying houses that may be temporarily unoccupied or occupied by elderly or minority residents, for the purpose of unnecessary and fraudulent replacement of gas pipelines at such residences without the owners' knowledge or consent.

Complainants have also identified agents hired by Southwest gas who allegedly "prowl around and photograph homes" they believe may not be occupied. A man identified as Steve Dupre was caught by police prowling and harassing residents of a house believed to be occupied by victims and whistle-blowers against Southwest Gas and its subsidiary Centuri. Dupre had reportedly spent over a week in the area prowling and harassing the victims and neighbors prior to being caught by police after a 9-11 call in California. While the complaints are based on incidents in Las Vegas, Nevada, residents are reporting being stalked and harrassed even when they are out of state in California by agents employed directly by Southwest Gas and its CEO Karen Haller.

A statement by one of the Las Vegas complainants and victims currently in California released last Tuesday states "My wife and I are both victims as well as whistle-blowers who have been attacked and harassed by Southwest Gas and its agents in both Nevada and California and we are seeking legal action against Southwest gas as well as its current and former CEO's for assault, property damage, bodily harm, and other damages related to harassment by agents of Southwest Gas.  We are still being harassed and on several incidents have caught agents hired by Southwest gas and NPL prowling on or around our properties and harassing neighbors in both Las Vegas, Nevada as well as in California.  We consider this matter extremely serious as these prowlers are known to carry guns and we are taking measures to protect ourselves and increase security around our homes and encourage others in Nevada to do the same for the safety of their families. It has been an unending nightmare for us for well over a year with no end in site and we are seeking assistance from state and federal law enforcement and investigators due to the failure of local police to investigate and to put a stop to this very serious matter".

This is a developing story which will be updated in the coming weeks. Please contact Elliot Anderson at (925) 241-0925 regarding this article.

Elliot Anderson for TROIB news