President Trump Pardons Nine Diesel Tuners Convicted of Clean Air Act Violations

President Donald Trump has issued pardons for nine individuals previously convicted of tampering with or selling parts to bypass vehicle emission controls, violating the Clean Air Act. The move follows a recent memorandum widely interpreted as a “Right to Repair” victory but widely seen as an attempt to undermine California’s process for certifying compliant aftermarket equipment.

Trump announced the pardons on Truth Social, claiming the convictions were part of a broader persecution under the Biden administration, despite evidence that most cases originated during his own presidency. The pardoned individuals include professionals who either deleted emission controls or sold components to do so, with operations ranging from small fleets to tens of thousands of customers.

Among those pardoned are Jonathan Achtemeier, convicted of tampering with monitoring devices on hundreds of trucks between 2019 and 2022; Tim Clancy, who performed “deletes and tunes” on at least 13 trucks owned by his company, Clancy Logistics, between 2019 and 2023; and Joshua Davis, who settled with the EPA in 2022 after supplying “tens of thousands of defeat devices” that violated the Clean Air Act. Matt Geouge, convicted of selling over 14,000 defeat devices since 2015, and Ryan and Wade Lalone, who removed emission controls from 70% of the vehicles their business, Diesel Freak, worked on between 2015 and 2018, were also pardoned.

Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, and Mackenzie Spurlock, each convicted of similar violations involving hundreds of vehicles or hundreds of thousands of products, round out the list. Trump also pardoned Adam Kidan, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges and donated over $4 million to Trump’s and other Republican campaigns, and Jack Harvard, convicted of fraud but known for allowing troops to train on his land at no charge.

The pardons come amid criticism of Trump’s stance on environmental regulations, with the president previously dismissing emission standards as having “not a damn bit of difference for the environment.” While the pardoned individuals will not receive restitution for fines or time served, the move effectively nullifies their convictions, signaling a broader shift in federal enforcement priorities.