Shop owners sentenced for ‘deleting’ emissions controls from 375 diesel trucks

A husband and wife in Washington State have been sentenced for tampering with emissions monitoring systems on hundreds of diesel trucks and using the proceeds to fund a “luxurious lifestyle.”

Tracy Coiteux, 44, and Sean Coiteux, 50, were sentenced to four years of probation, four months of home confinement, 60 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine each, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

The couple were indicted on charges of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and eleven specific violations of the Clean Air Act in May 2021. Tracy Coiteux was convicted following a jury trial in May 2024 while Sean Coiteux pleaded guilty in March 2024.

The pair co-owned  Racing Performance Maintenance Northwest (known as RPM) and a related sales company called RPM Motors.

Officials say that between January 2018 and November 2020, the defendants charged customers fees of about $2,000 per truck to remove (delete) emissions control systems, and that they then modified (tuned) legally required software that works to ensure the vehicle’s pollution remains within legal limits. Further, during the sale of a truck, the couple allegedly offered to remove the emissions systems as part of the sale. “

Over three years, the couple reportedly “deleted” 375 diesel trucks and were paid over $500,000 for illegal modifications, using the money for “their 10-acre compound with a saltwater pool and garage housing an extensive collection of expensive exotic cars.”

“These defendants removed pollution controls from some 375 trucks, causing them to continuously spew massive amounts of pollutants into the environment. Emissions of diesel exhaust are harmful to human health with links to cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “The Coiteuxs knew their conduct was illegal and was harming the environment but kept it up to help pay for their 10-acre estate, yacht, and collection of exotic cars. The Department of Justice will continue to seek to hold business owners accountable for putting the health of the community at risk.”

“For years, the defendants intentionally violated the Clean Air Act by defeating emissions control equipment on well over three hundred diesel trucks,” said Special Agent in Charge Lance Ehrig of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID) in Washington. “Their actions directly resulted in significant excess pollution being emitted into the air, which are linked to heart and lung diseases and even cancer. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that individuals and their companies who violate our nation’s environmental laws and deliberately threaten human health and the environment will be held criminally responsible for their actions.”

The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division.