A New Jersey resident, Jonathan Achtemeier, has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy aimed at violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with pollution control software on diesel trucks. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Achtemeier, aged 44, admitted his involvement in the scheme from 2019 to 2022, during which he removed pollution control software from hundreds of vehicles across the nation. Sentencing is set for February 14, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright.
Court records reveal that Achtemeier collaborated with mechanics and truck fleet operators to disable anti-pollution software on diesel trucks—a practice known as "deleting." He assisted coconspirators in tricking truck software into believing emissions systems were operational through a method called "tuning." This process involved disabling monitoring software using laptops provided by Achtemeier, allowing him remote access to modify the truck's onboard computer.
The removal of pollution control equipment and software results in trucks emitting pollutants at levels between 30 and 1,200 times higher than those equipped with functional systems. Such tampering violates the Clean Air Act.
Achtemeier charged up to $4,500 per truck for services that typically took less than two hours. Operating under business names Voided Warranty Tuning (VWT) or Optimized Ag, he advertised nationwide and earned over $4.3 million in gross profits between 2019 and 2022.
The altered vehicles included pick-ups like Dodge R3500s as well as Kenworth and Freightliner semi-trucks located primarily in Washington State.
Conspiracy charges carry penalties of up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID). The prosecution team includes Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Watts Staniar, Dane Westermeyer, Seth Wilkinson, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Karla Perrin from the EPA.