Why did UPHE sue Diesel Brothers in 2017? Details explored as David Sparks aka Heavy D released from custody following recent arrest

Heavy D, also known as David Sparks, was recently taken into custody and released after he failed to pay $851,000. Notably, he owed the amount, along with his brother Diesel Dave, to the UPHE by a federal judge around five years ago, as per ABC4.

The outlet stated that Sparks and Dave had reportedly violated the Clean Air Act by removing pollution control devices from the vehicles that were modified to be featured on their show, Diesel Brothers, which aired on the Discovery Channel.

The UPHE had originally filed a lawsuit against David Sparks and Diesel Dave in 2017, which alleged that, apart from the removal of the pollution control devices, certain equipment from the trucks was also sold by the duo.

Sparks was taken to the Salt Lake County Jail before being released. David’s latest arrest on October 7, 2025, was the result of a contempt order issued by the judge for not following the rules. The order reads:

“Having exhausted all other mechanisms to ensure his compliance with court orders, the court will order Defendant Sparks incarcerated until he complies with the specific requirements necessary to purge his contempt.”

As per Entertainment Weekly, the contempt order was issued after new documents were filed in the U.S. District Court for Utah, which stated that David was allegedly involved in activities that were linked to contempt. His lawyer, Cole Cannon, told the outlet that the arrest should not have happened as Sparks was not charged with anything.

David Sparks and Diesel Dave’s legal problem started in 2017: Lawsuit and other details explained

As mentioned earlier, the close friends were sued around eight years ago by UPHE. The non-profit organization claimed that the emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen from vehicles can occur at a rapid pace if the pollution control devices are removed. They further stated that such a situation can also result in various health issues.

The president of the non-profit organization, Dr. Brian Moench, said that air pollution can lead to problems such as heart attacks. He claimed that diesel exhaust is a form of toxic pollution and it can be dangerous for anyone.

Apart from David Sparks and Diesel Dave, the lawsuit also mentioned the names of two companies, Diesel Power Gear LLC and B&W Auto LLC. Notably, there were many other allegations, such as the installation of emission control defeat parts into the vehicles and illegal use of the vehicles in Utah, as stated by ABC4.

While the court discovered that Sparks and Dave had violated the act, they claimed in defense that the emissions of their trucks were smaller in comparison to other sources.

UPHE’s attorney Reed Zars later explained by saying that, as per the court’s decision, the emission testing programs in Utah and the general public can cooperate to avoid any kind of “tampering” of certain devices installed in vehicles. Zars also said:

“When tampered vehicles like the ones, in this case, emit 30 to 40 times the pollution of stock vehicles, it only takes 2-3% of these monster emitters to double the emissions from the entire fleet.”

On the other hand, David Sparks and Diesel Dave’s arguments were rejected by the court on multiple occasions, where the duo once claimed that the penalties issued against them were violating the US Constitution.

Meanwhile, Diesel Brothers premiered back in 2016 and ran for six more seasons until 2022.