A New Jersey resident, Jonathan Achtemeier, has entered a guilty plea in Tacoma for his involvement in a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. This admission was made today, according to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Achtemeier, aged 44, confessed to disabling pollution control software on diesel trucks across the nation between 2019 and 2022. U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright has set his sentencing for February 14, 2025.
Court documents reveal that Achtemeier collaborated with mechanics and truck fleet operators to disable anti-pollution software on diesel trucks. The process of disabling these systems is referred to as "deleting." Those seeking such services approached Achtemeier for assistance in deceiving the truck’s software into recognizing emissions control systems as operational, known as "tuning." Monitoring software typically detects non-functional pollution control hardware and prevents the truck from operating; however, Achtemeier managed to bypass this by connecting through laptops he distributed among his coconspirators.
Achtemeier's remote tuning capability allowed him to enhance both environmental impact and financial gain. Disabling pollution control equipment results in emissions levels ranging from 30 to 1,200 times higher than regulated standards.
Achtemeier charged up to $4,500 per truck for services that took two hours or less and promoted his business under names like Voided Warranty Tuning (VWT) or Optimized Ag via social media nationwide. His company accumulated over $4.3 million in gross profits during this period.
The conspirators involved include service garages or truck fleets located throughout Washington State, affecting vehicles from Dodge R3500 pick-ups to Kenworth and Freightliner semi-trucks.
Violating conspiracy laws carries penalties of up to five years imprisonment and fines reaching $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID). The prosecution team comprises Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Watts Staniar, Dane Westermeyer, Seth Wilkinson, along with Special Assistant United States Attorney Karla Perrin from the EPA.
