Why was David Sparks aka Heavy D arrested? Lawsuit charges against Diesel Brothers explored

Discovery show Diesel Brothers alum David Sparks, also known as Heavy D, was arrested on Tuesday for failing to pay a lawsuit fee. According to WBZ NewsRadio, David is currently being held at the Salt Lake City jail.

The TV personality, 40, was arrested on October 7 after a Judge issued a bench warrant against him on October 2. In 2020, a federal judge ordered the Diesel Brothers, David "Heavy D" Sparks and David "Diesel Dave" Kiley, to pay over $851K for violating the Clean Air Act.

🚨‘Diesel Brothers’ star David “Heavy D” Sparks was arrested this morning and booked into Salt Lake County Jail on contempt of court charges. The YouTube icon and truck-building legend allegedly failed to pay an $850,000 judgment from a 2021 environmental lawsuit over illegal… pic.twitter.com/ikaSfITT2O

— SLCScanner (@SLCScanner) October 8, 2025

Following David Sparks' Tuesday arrest, his lawyer, Cole Cannon, told PEOPLE his client was not arrested for committing a crime, rather:

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"No crime has been alleged or charged. The arrest stems from a civil matter regarding some zealous environmental attorneys seeking collection of attorney's fees. Mr. Sparks looks forward to his timely release and resolution of this matter."

Diesel Brothers on Discovery was a reality TV show spanning across 6 seasons that ran from 2016 to 2022. The show was based on Utah-based automobile experts Heavy D, Diesel Dave, and their crew, who repaired pickup trucks and often customized them. A brief overview of the show on Discovery's website reads:

​"Diesel Brothers follows Heavy D, Diesel Dave and the team at Dieselsellerz as they build big, bad trucks, pull elaborate pranks and push the limits with new stunts."

Lawsuit against Diesel Brothers explored as David Sparks is arrested over unpaid fine

In 2017, the healthcare organization, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE), filed a lawsuit against Diesel Brothers and their affiliate businesses, DieselSellerz.com LLC, Sparks Motors LLC, Diesel Power Gear LLC, and 4X4 Anything LLC.

The group of physicians alleged that Diesel Brothers violated federal emission laws while customizing truck engines. UPHE also accused the show's crew of being involved in the trading of illegally modified diesel trucks.

In 2017, the healthcare organization, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE), filed a lawsuit against Diesel Brothers and their affiliate businesses, DieselSellerz.com LLC, Sparks Motors LLC, Diesel Power Gear LLC, and 4X4 Anything LLC. The group of physicians alleged that Diesel Brothers violated federal emission laws while customizing truck engines. UPHE also accused the show's crew of being involved in the trading of illegally modified diesel trucks.

David Sparks and David Kiley were accused of tampering with the pollution control tools in diesel trucks, which directly violated the Clean Air Act. UPHE board member, Dr. Howie Garber, had previously said:

"Pollution controls on diesel vehicles are mandated by law. These pollution controls are also necessary to prevent the many acute and chronic diseases that are caused by and exacerbated by air pollution. Unfortunately, Diesel Brothers are turning these trucks into disease-generating machines."

In March 2020, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ordered Diesel Brothers to pay $90K to the Davis County Tampered Diesel Truck Restoration Program and $761,451 to the federal government.

At the time, David Sparks' attorney, Cole Cannon, said most of the penalties imposed on the Diesel Brothers were going to be dropped. He further claimed:

"This case was about attorneys’ fees for the attorneys of the UPHE and not about the environment, because if the environment mattered to them, they would have taken Sparks up on his numerous offers to clean up the air in the Wasatch Front, such as his offer to repair low income folks emissions for free."

As of now, David Sparks' bail situation remains unclear.