Man Sentenced For Selling Thousands Of Emissions Bypass Devices

We’ve seen all different kinds of punishment for supplying emissions off supporting devices, but this is a first (that we know of). Hitting the headlines today, a man on the east coast was sentenced to one year in prison for selling thousands of emissions bypass devices. These thousands of devices earned him millions.

Inside The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

Per Market Watch, the east coast-based mechanic offered these devices for different models of diesel-powered trucks and they produced “more than one hundred times the amount of pollution legally allowed”. Among a tax evasion charge, this gentleman has been ordered to pay back the EPA $1,200,000 in fines. If you aren’t taking this seriously yet, you may want to.

Again, those of you spouting on social media about your “tuner” or “calibrator”, if you care about them, you probably ought to keep that to yourself. You’re putting them at serious risk.

Federal prosecutors say that between 2008 and 2017, the gentleman sold around 14,000 kits known as “tuners” or “defeat devices” that helped shut off the emissions systems on mostly diesel-powered pickup trucks. Some drivers believe the federally mandated control systems, which drastically reduce pollution, inhibit the performance of their trucks.

The mechanic tailored software programs for the tuners known as ‘tunes,’ designed to maximize the engine power of particular vehicles resulting in significant increases in harmful air emissions,” according to federal prosecutors in North Carolina. In all, prosecutors say he took in around $10 million in sales of the devices and the customized encryption software that helped them work without triggering the vehicle’s warning systems.

Per the EPA, there are as many as 550,000 pickup trucks on the road in the United States that have had their emissions controls tampered with. Their estimate shows the additional pollution created by these trucks is equivalent to the emission produced by nine million trucks operating in compliance with the law. This may not come as news to you but keep this in mind.

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Artie Maupin

Artie Maupin is from Southeast Missouri and has an extreme passion for anything diesel. He loves drag racing of all kinds, as well as sled pulling competitions.
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