OKLAHOMA CITY — A Cleveland County man has been convicted in federal court and sentenced for tampering with motor vehicles in violation of the Clean Air Act.
James “Doc” Love, 53, of Norman, was charged in 2021 with tampering with a monitoring device and method required to be maintained under the Clean Air Act, Oklahoma Western District U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced.
The Clean Air Act was enacted by Congress to protect and enhance the quality of the nation’s air resources to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.
According to public records, Love owned and operated Southwest Diesel Service, a heavy-duty diesel engine full-service garage in Oklahoma City.
Love admitted that between February 2015 and April 2019, he directed his employees to modify the emissions control systems on heavy-duty diesel trucks. Specifically, Love directed his employees to alter the emissions control components, including removing the diesel particulate filters and plating the exhaust gas recirculation systems.
He then instructed others to reprogram the vehicles’ on-board computers so that the emissions control systems’ sensors failed to detect the alterations. These modifications prevented the trucks from accurately recording the pollutants they discharged into the atmosphere. They also ensured that the trucks continued to travel on public roads despite operating illegally.
Love pleaded guilty in October 2021 and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk on Jan. 23, 2023, to 12 months’ probation. Love also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
“Emissions controls protect all of us from harmful effects of air pollution,” Troester said. “However, Mr. Love put the health of the public at risk by manipulating devices intended to disable those emissions controls for financial gain.”