Louisiana Conspirator Pleads Guilty in Emissions Fraud Scam

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – In a stunning turn of events, Darren Kattan, 31, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one felony count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, tied to violations of the Clean Air Act. United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian and Vernesa Jones-Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the EPA-CID New York Area Office, announced the charges.

Kattan’s crime spree, spanning from 2010 to 2013, involved designing, constructing, and selling ‘simulator devices’ programmed to bypass motor vehicle emissions inspection tests. The conspiratorial network distributed a chilling total of 170 such devices across the United States. His downfall came in Louisiana when he was apprehended by EPA-CID agents during an undercover sting operation, exchanging source codes for his fraudulent devices for $10,000.

Under federal law, Kattan’s offense carries a severe penalty, with a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release up to three years and a substantial fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2017, before Senior District Judge Norman A. Mordue.

This case has been a collaborative effort between the EPA-CID, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry and Senior Trial Attorney Todd Gleason from the United States Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section.

Kattan’s arrest and the subsequent charges underscore the lengths some individuals will go to defraud the system and harm public health through environmental crimes. The justice system is now set to mete out the appropriate penalties for his transgressions.

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