Former co-owners of Matanuska Diesel charged with Clean Air Act violations Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Alaska Byline: Reagan Zimmerman Dateline: Anchorage, Alaska Date: 20 November 2023 Subjects: American Government , Crime, The Environment Topic: Matanuska Diesel

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment charging two Wasilla men and their auto shop with conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.

According to court documents, Mackenzie Spurlock, 28, and Brendan Trevors, 26, through their business Matanuska Diesel LLC, conspired to remove required air pollution control equipment and tamper with federally mandated monitoring devices on diesel vehicles in violation of the Clean Air Act from July 2020 to June 2022.

The indictment explains that Spurlock and Trevors performed illegal “deleting” and “tuning” as part of the conspiracy. The act of removing emission control systems is known as “deleting” and the act of reprogramming the on-board diagnostic systems is known as “tuning.” These unlawful modifications result in a significant increase in pollutants emitted by the vehicle.

Spurlock, Trevors and Matanuska Diesel LLC are charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and nine counts of tampering with a Clean Air Act monitoring device, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C). The defendants will make their initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.

The EPA Criminal Investigation Alaska Division are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers and EPA Regional Criminal Enforcement Counsel Karla Perrin are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

UPDATE: A previous version of the story stated the grand jury returned the indictment "today" on Nov. 20, 2023. That is inaccurate and the word "today" has been deleted.

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Reagan Zimmerman

Public Affairs Officer

reagan.zimmerman@usdoj.gov

Updated November 21, 2023

Press Release Number: 23-080