Owners of Ridgefield and Woodland-based auto shops received an indictment from a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to remove pollution control hardware from diesel trucks and tampering with emissions monitoring systems, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday, May 13.
The grand jury indictment charges co-owners Sean and Tracy Coiteux and their service manager, Nick Akerill, along with corporations in control of Racing Performance Maintenance Northwest, based in Ridgefield, and Woodland company RPM Motors and Sales NW, according to the DOJ release. The three individuals are scheduled for a U.S. District Court appearance in Tacoma in May.
The indictment alleges the people charged had violated the federal Clean Air Act 11 times, including tampering with emissions monitoring systems on vehicles by removing pollution control equipment between January 2018 and November 2020.
“By removing required pollution control devices, the defendants caused their customers’ diesel trucks to spew pollutants into the air at a rate of up to 300 times the pollution caused by compliant trucks,” Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman stated in the DOJ release. “These defendants increased toxins in our environment that are linked to cancer, as well as pulmonary, neurological, cardiovascular, and immune system damage. And they collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees for doing so.”
The indictment stated the defendants charged about $2,000 per truck to remove the emissions control systems, which are required by federal law, and modified legally-required software that ensures pollution remains in legal limits. It added RPM Motors and Sales sometimes offered the removal as part of the sale of a truck.
The DOJ stated that electronic records including emails showed the conspiracy for purchasing equipment and software kits to remove the pollution control mechanisms, which are known as “tunes” and “deletes” and are marketed as improving vehicle power and performance.
“The defendants intentionally violated the Clean Air Act by installing emissions defeat equipment in passenger vehicles, resulting in increased air pollution,” Special Agent in Charge Scot Adair of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in the Pacific Northwest said in the release. “EPA and our law enforcement partners will continue to focus efforts on stopping the sale of these illegal devices.”
The defendants face up to five years in prison for conspiracy, the release stated. Each violation of the Clean Air Act is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson and Environmental Protection Agency Special Assistant United States Attorney Karla Gebel Perrin.
