In a brazen scheme, two men have been indicted for violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with pollution control systems in diesel trucks. Pavel Ivanovich Turlak, 48, and his companies PT Express LLC, Spokane Truck Service LLC, and Paul’s Trans LLC, as well as Ryan Hugh Milliken, 46, and his company Hardway Solutions, face charges for their role in disabling emission controls and emitting substantially more pollutants into the atmosphere.
According to the indictment, Turlak and Milliken tampered with emission control monitoring devices and methods on diesel pickup trucks between August 2017 and November 2023. The ‘tuning’ or ‘deleting’ of software and hardware modifications allowed the trucks to emit significantly more pollutants. The indictment alleges that Milliken created and sold custom software ‘delete tunes’ to Turlak for specific vehicles based on specifications provided by Turlak.
Turlak then charged diesel truck owners up to $3,500 to ‘delete’ and ‘tune’ their vehicles by tampering with and rendering inaccurate required monitoring devices. The indictment also alleges that Turlak falsely and fraudulently sought and received over $300,000 in federal funding designated for eligible small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly,” stated Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “My office is fully committed to enforcing laws to achieve environmental justice and making Eastern Washington a clean, safe place to live and work.”
The case was investigated by the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Spokane Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Jacob Brooks are prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Waldref thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida for its coordination and support.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) remains committed to enforcing the Clean Air Act and protecting public health and the environment.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime|Environmental Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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