Oregon diesel truck shop pleads guilty to tampering with vehicle emission monitors
The owner of an Oregon diesel shop based in Veneta has pleaded guilty in federal court to knowingly and intentionally tampering with pollution monitoring devices on at least 184 vehicles.
The shop, Diesel and Offroad Authority, LLC, did the work in an intentional violation of the Clean Air Act, according to federal prosecutors.
Christopher Kaufman, 38, a Veneta resident and owner of the shop, agreed to pay $150,000 in criminal fines and serve a three-year term of probation as part of a plea agreement.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act defines the responsibilities for protecting and improving the nation's air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer.
"The defendants in this case illegally tampered with the onboard diagnostics systems and removed the emissions control components from hundreds of diesel trucks," said Lance Ehrig, special agent in charge of the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division in Oregon.
"The pollution that results from vehicle emissions can lead to serious health conditions and has been linked to increased respiratory disease and childhood asthma," Ehrig said.
According to court documents, Diesel and Offroad Authority charged customers approximately $2,300 each for the emissions modifications and collected more than $378,000 for the unlawful services over an approximately four-year period.
Diesel and Offroad Authority and Kaufman were charged by federal criminal information with violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with pollution monitoring devices on March 12, 2024.
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon diesel shop pleads guilty to environmental violations
