Summary

Bev Con International, a gas cylinder retesting firm, and its president Bobby W. Allen, Sr., Brighton, TN, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Memphis, TN, to conspiracy, fraud, and hazardous materials violations for falsifying the test results on gas cylinders. Bev Con and Allen were indicted December 13, 2001, along with a related company, BCI Industries, Inc. (BCII) and the company's general manager, Charles D. Young, of Brighton, TN, for allegedly falsifying documents to reflect that hydrostatic retesting had been completed on the cylinders when it was not. Under DOT regulations, pressurized gas cylinders must be retested every 5 years in order to ensure their structural integrity and safety, so they will not explode, causing serious injury or death. No trial date has been set for BCII and Young, and a sentencing date for Allen and BCI is pending. OIG and the FBI investigated this case, with assistance from RSPA.