President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he signed pardons for six people convicted of violating the Clean Air Act, claiming they had been wrongfully prosecuted by the Biden administration for “fixing their car.” Trump described the action as freeing victims of what he called weaponization and stupidity by federal prosecutors.
The White House later identified the six pardoned individuals as Ryan Lalone, Wade Lalone, Matt Geouge, Tim Clancy, Mac Spurlock, Joshua Davis, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, Adam Kidan, and Jack Harvard, according to CBS News. All had been convicted of tampering with air pollution control equipment in vehicles, a violation of the Clean Air Act that prosecutors had pursued as a criminal matter.
The pardons fit a broader shift in Trump administration policy toward emissions enforcement. In January 2026, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop all pending criminal investigations and cases related to so-called defeat devices—software or parts used to bypass emissions controls on vehicles, particularly diesel trucks. The DOJ stated it would no longer pursue criminal charges under the Clean Air Act based on allegations of tampering, though civil enforcement would continue.
These pardons follow Trump’s earlier clemency grant to Troy Lake, a 65-year-old Wyoming diesel mechanic, in November 2025. Lake had served seven months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act for disabling pollution control monitors on hundreds of diesel trucks. His case drew support from Wyoming’s U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis and became a rallying point for those opposing criminal prosecutions in the emissions tampering space.
Defeat devices have been a focus of federal enforcement for years. According to the EPA, tampering with diesel-powered vehicles by installing defeat devices causes large amounts of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions, contributing to air pollution. The EPA’s Air Enforcement Division found that known sales of defeat devices for certain diesel trucks after 2009 and before 2020 were substantial, making the issue a significant environmental and public health concern.
The shift from criminal to civil enforcement reflects a policy change within the Trump administration’s Justice Department. Lobbyist Jeff Daugherty, representing five of the six defendants, told CBS News that Trump was the only president willing to take an interest in these cases because he himself had faced what he characterized as weaponization by prosecutors. Daugherty credited Trump for approving the pardons.
Sources
- CNN — Trump’s announcement of six pardons for Clean Air Act violations on July 3, 2026, his statement about persecution by the Biden administration
- CBS News — Identification of the six pardoned individuals, details on their convictions, and statements from their representatives
- CBS News — Information about Troy Lake’s pardon in November 2025, his seven-month prison sentence, and his conviction details
- Politico — Background on Trump’s pardon of Troy Lake and the broader movement for Clean Air Act pardon cases
- Justice Department — Policy announcement in January 2026 to drop criminal prosecutions of defeat devices while continuing civil enforcement
- EPA — Information on defeat devices, their environmental impact, and enforcement priorities
