N.C. gas price gouging investigations net cash refunds and penalties, says attorney general

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Photo by Jason Sandford

Remember the gas prices last year? MyFox8.com has the follow-up story here:

North Carolina’s attorney general says his office has gotten more than $56,000 in refunds, civil penalties and energy assistance funds from gasoline price gouging investigations.

Attorney General Roy Cooper said Wednesday in a statement that the results show “we won’t tolerate those who try to make an unfair profit off of a disaster.”

Cooper was one of the attorneys general who began investigations in the fall after Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast and gasoline prices began to rise.

Cooper’s office said thousands of consumers complained after the state price gouging law was triggered. His lawyers still have civil lawsuits pending against two gas stations.

Cooper said some stations charged more than $5.49 a gallon.

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Cooper previously won refunds for consumers, civil penalties for public schools, and payments to special funds to provide energy assistance to low-income North Carolinians from the following gas stations: Circle B gas station in Fayetteville; five Big D gas stations in Murphy, Marble and Hayesville; The Corner Market gas station in Jefferson; Old Fort Citgo in Old Fort; M & J Food Mart in Asheville; and Shell To Go in McLeansville.