New Jersey man admits to nationwide conspiracy to delete emission controls on hundreds of semi trucks and pickups

This week, a New Jersey man pleaded guilty to charges related to a nationwide scheme to remove pollution control software from hundreds of diesel trucks.

On November 20, Jonathan Achtemeier, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Officials say that between 2019 and 2022, Achtemeier removed the pollution control software on hundreds of vehicles nationwide while doing business on social media as Voided Warranty Tuning (VWT) or Optimized Ag, taking in more than $4.3 million in gross profits.

Achtemeier reportedly conspired with mechanics in garages and operators of truck fleets to disable the anti-pollution software installed on diesel trucks. Using laptops provided to various co-conspirators that were hooked up to a truck’s onboard computer, Achtemeier could “tune” the portion of the vehicle’s software that is designed to slow the truck if the pollution control device was missing or malfunctioning.

Officials say that Achtemeier could “tune” diesel trucks remotely, which “enabled him to maximize his environmental impact and personal profit.”

Achtemeier charged up to $4,500 per truck to remove the pollution control software. He worked with service garages or truck fleets in various areas of Washington State, and the vehicles he altered included pickups like the Dodge R3500 and Kenworth and Freightliner semi trucks.

The tampered trucks produced 30 to 1200 times the amount of pollution as a non-tampered truck, officials said.

This case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division (EPA-CID).