David “Heavy D” Sparks, famed for his role in the reality show “Diesel Brothers,” has been taken into custody after being found in contempt of court for not paying over $851,000 owed for breaching the Clean Air Act.
Sparks was detained and booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday, October 7, following a federal judge’s issuance of a bench warrant on October 2.
The legal issues involving the Diesel Brothers began in 2017 when Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) initiated legal action against Diesel Power Gear LLC, B&W Auto LLC, David Sparks, and Joshua Stuart.
The lawsuit claimed that the defendants unlawfully removed emissions control devices from diesel vehicles and subsequently sold those components and trucks on their reality show, thereby breaching the Clean Air Act and state regulations.
In a 2020 ruling, a federal judge commanded the defendants to pay substantial fines to the federal government and the state of Utah, along with covering UPHE’s legal expenses, totaling over $851,000.
ABC4.com reports reveal that Sparks was held in contempt for failing to settle the owed amounts and disregarding compliance orders from the court.
“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,” the judge wrote in a contempt order filed on October 2.
The defendants in the case were found in contempt on June 24, 2024, and then Sparks was found in contempt for a second time on August 4, 2025 for transferring property, which was not allowed under the first contempt order. The judge found that Sparks did not provide the necessary information to the plaintiffs ordered following these violations, and ordered the U.S. Marshal to arrest Sparks.
A contempt hearing for Sparks is scheduled to be held on October 9, 2025.
