U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref | U.S. Department of Justice
Pavel Ivanovich Turlak, a business owner from Spokane, Washington, has admitted guilt in a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds. This announcement was made by Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Turlak and his companies, PT Express, LLC, Spokane Truck Service, LLC, and Pauls Trans, LLC, are scheduled for sentencing on April 2, 2025.
Under the Clean Air Act regulations, diesel trucks must have systems to limit harmful emissions. The law mandates an onboard diagnostic system that alerts if emissions control components fail or are removed. If such issues are detected, trucks enter "limp mode," limiting speed significantly.
From August 2017 to November 2023, Turlak acquired illegal "delete tune" files from Ryan Hugh Milliken's Florida-based company Hardaway Solutions, LLC. These files disabled emissions controls in Turlak's vehicles and those of his customers at Spokane Truck Service, LLC. Milliken and his company also pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act in November 2024.
Turlak further confessed to fraudulently securing over $300,000 in COVID-19 relief funds between March 2020 and August 2021 by falsely claiming eligibility while participating in emissions violations.
As part of a plea agreement, Turlak committed to ensuring compliance with the Clean Air Act moving forward. U.S Attorney Waldref commented on Turlak's actions: “Mr. Turlak pursued a business of profiting from pollution...Families in Eastern Washington deserve to breathe cleaner air."
The case involved investigation by several agencies including EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and support from other federal entities. Prosecutors include Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Jacob E. Brooks along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Gwendolyn Russell.