Tri-Valley Company Hit With $1 Million Fine

PLEASANTON, CA - Wildlife Management, LLC, of Dublin and the company’s President, James Tong of Pleasanton, were ordered to pay restitution of $1 million to entities that protect the environment and to provide a conservation easement on 107 acres of land in Contra Costa County. The land is worth $3 million.

The sentence was handed down Friday by U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar.

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According to the Northern District of California Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, during the development of the Dublin Ranch North real estate project in Dublin, a person acting on behalf of Wildlife Management submitted a forged document to the City of Dublin showing a $3.2 million mitigation receipt from the Ohlone Preserve Conservation Bank with the intent to deceive the city into believing Wildlife Management had purchased mitigation credits when it had not.

Grading for Dublin Ranch North caused sediment to run off into a pond that provided habitat for the California Tiger Salamander.

In addition to the $1 million restitution and the $3 million easement, Tong, 70, was ordered to serve one year of probation and to serve four months home detention. Part of the $1 million will be paid by Tong while the remainder is paid by his company, as stipulated by the court.

The conservation easement will be on Brown Ranch. The land will be permanently protected from development.

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