State of Illinois sues Iowa-based chain over gas gouging

The Illinois Attorney General is suing an Iowa convenience store chain on allegations of gasoline price gouging. Ankeny-based Casey’s General Stores is accused of jacking prices up to five dollars a gallon at some Illinois stores after Tuesday’s terrorist attacks. Casey’s founder and chairman Don Lamberti says he’s “astonished” by what happened in his company stores.Lamberti says the “rumors and panic” in the Illinois market prompted some storeowners to raise prices, as they’re allowed to make those decisions independently. He says once the corporate leaders learned how high the prices were raised, an order was issued to drop the prices immediately and give the money back to customers. He says the company has built its reputation on providing high-quality gasoline at reasonable prices.Lamberti says the Casey’s chain is trying to make up for the mistake to its customers. He says anyone in Illinois who was overcharged can go into a Casey’s and get a refund, no questions asked.He says -no- Casey’s stores in Iowa raised prices any higher than 25-cents a gallon. The chain has 13-hundred stores in the U-S, including 350 in Iowa and 370 in Illinois.