Diesel Brothers influencer 'Heavy D' has been arrested for not paying $850,000 in fees related to an environmental lawsuit.
HeavyDSparks via YouTube
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Dave Sparks—known as “Heavy D,” and one of the stars of the popular Diesel Brothers series—was arrested on Tuesday morning in Utah. Bloomberg Law reported late last week that a warrant had been issued for Sparks’ arrest after a federal judge found him in contempt of multiple court orders related to a Clean Air Act lawsuit, which includes a requirement to pay $844,000 in fees. Sparks is now booked in Salt Lake City Jail, a report first furnished by TMZ and confirmed by The Drive.
In March 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby determined that Sparks and three other individuals were liable for a significant amount due to violations involving diesel truck emissions systems. While Sparks and his co-defendants shared videos of diesel trucks emitting black smoke on YouTube, garnering millions of views, these videos were not the only instances of alleged tampering highlighted by the plaintiffs. Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment purchased a truck from Sparks Motors and had its exhaust emissions analyzed in a lab in Denver, Colorado. The findings reportedly indicated that the truck expelled 21 times more particulate matter than it would have if it had a properly functioning diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Despite the negative publicity surrounding Sparks and his businesses at that time, his online following has only increased. His YouTube channel now boasts 4.47 million subscribers, and he has nearly 3.9 million followers on Instagram. Sparks is well-known for acquiring Ye’s Ripsaw EV2 luxury tank in 2022, along with other notable purchases such as a Blackhawk military helicopter. His collaborations with fellow YouTube stars like WhistlinDiesel and Matt’s Off-Road Recovery have kept him in the spotlight within the diesel truck community.
As recently as August, Sparks and Dave Kiley—also called “Diesel Dave”—joined forces with Ram to construct a 3500 HD dually drag racing truck for the Roadkill Nights event in Michigan. I have reached out to Ram for comments regarding Sparks’ arrest and the continuation of their partnership. I will update this article when I receive a response.
Sparks notably uploaded a YouTube video on August 6, stating that a federal judge had mandated him to delay a liquidation sale at Sparks Motors’ headquarters in Utah. He mentioned a “very small group of people” who would like to see him fail. Nevertheless, the sale occurred on August 7, and the distribution of the proceeds from that sale appears to be central to this latest legal issue.
The complete Memorandum Decision and Order of Contempt issued by the United States District Court for the District of Utah is available below. If you experience difficulties viewing it, you can access it through this link.
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Diesel Brothers influencer 'Heavy D' has been arrested for not paying $850,000 in fees related to an environmental lawsuit.
Last week, a bench warrant was issued for David Sparks after a federal judge determined that he was in contempt of several court orders.