President Trump announced pardons on Friday for a group of individuals he stated were wrongfully prosecuted for modifying vehicle emissions systems, labeling the federal prosecutions an act of ‘weaponization and stupidity.’ The defendants had been prosecuted for tampering with air pollution control equipment in vehicles, a violation of the Clean Air Act.
Background of the Case
The modifications involve aftermarket defeat devices, which are used to disable standard emission controls on engines. Defense lawyer Stewart Cables and lobbyist Jeff Daugherty, who represent five of the defendants, identified them as Ryan Lalone, Wade Lalone, Matt Geouge, Tim Clancy, and Mac Spurlock. A White House official later confirmed those five names and stated that five additional individuals had also received pardons.
The official identified the remaining five as Joshua Davis, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, Adam Kidan, and Jack Harvard. The official noted that three of these additional individuals were pardoned for similar pollution violations. The executive clemencies follow a previous action last fall, when Trump granted clemency to Troy Lake, a Wyoming mechanic who served seven months in prison for disabling air pollution-control equipment on diesel engines.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
