D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against a top gas retailer and distributor, Capitol Petroleum Group, and several affiliated companies, for alleged illegal price gouging during the pandemic.

According to a press release from Racine’s office, CPG allegedly roughly doubled its profits on every gallon of gas sold across its 54 stations in D.C, despite wholesale gas prices dropping during March and April. This marks Racine’s second price gouging violation suit during the pandemic; in May, his office sued a Ward 7 convenience store for allegedly illegally marking up bleach.

“The overwhelming majority of the District’s businesses continue to follow the law. In this case, however, OAG’s investigation revealed that—despite lower gasoline prices during the pandemic—Capitol Petroleum Group took advantage of the District’s consumers by illegally increasing the price of its products, instead of passing the cost savings along to District consumers as required by law,” Racine says in a statement.

The complaint alleges that CPG, along with affiliate companies Anacostia Realty LLC and DAG Petroleum Suppliers LLC, “saw a business opportunity” when coronavirus rolled through D.C. and wholesale gas prices dropped. CPG is both a distributor and a retailer — meaning it supplies gasoline to 54 stations across the city, and also sells directly to consumers at other gas stations.

Per D.C.’s Natural Disaster Consumer Protection Act (which went into effect concurrently with the state of emergency on March 11) businesses are prohibited from charging higher prices for goods and services during the pandemic. Moreover, the NDCPA prevents retailers from marking products up over wholesale costs, and requires them to charge the same markup percentage that existed 90 days prior to the state of emergency.

According to the complaint, CPG violated D.C.’s price gouging law by roughly doubling its retail profits per gallon of gas sold — jumping from $0.44 before the March declaration of emergency to $0.88 in the weeks following. It also claims CPG and its affiliates unfairly increased profit margins during the pandemic. The average markup at their regular gas stations was 41.6% from Dec. 2019 to March 2019. Three weeks into the declared state of emergency for the pandemic, their markups jumped to 149.8%, according to the complaint.

CPG’s owner, Joe Mamo, was described as the “king of D.C.’s gas business,” in a 2011 Washington City Paper profile that detailed the company’s rise to prominence in the city. In the early 2000s, big oil companies like Shell and BP sold off their stations to smaller distributors — which is where Mamo found his entrance to the industry. He acquired 200 Shell and Exxon stations, and owned half of all gas stations in D.C.

CPG did not immediately return DCist’s request for comment on the lawsuit.

The fine for violating D.C.’s price gouging laws is $5,000 per violation, and the suit is seeking damages for consumers harmed by the sales as well as legal costs. Racine’s office is also seeking a court order to prevent the companies from violating consumer protection laws going forward.