“Diesel Brothers” star arrested after being held in contempt for not paying air pollution fines

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — David “Heavy D” Sparks, star of reality show “Diesel Brothers,” has been arrested after a judge found him in contempt for failing to pay more than $851,000 for violating the Clean Air Act.

Sparks was arrested and booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday, October 7 after a federal judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest on October 2.

The case against the Diesel Brothers dates back to 2017, when Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) filed a suit against Diesel Power Gear LLC, B&W Auto LLC, David Sparks, and Joshua Stuart.

The suit alleged that the defendants illegally removed pollution control equipment from diesel trucks and then sold those parts and trucks as part of their reality TV show, violating the Clean Air Act and Utah law.

In 2020, a federal judge ordered defendants to pay civil penalties to the federal government and to the state of Utah, in addition to paying for UPHE’s legal costs, totaling over $851,000.

According to court documents obtained by ABC4.com, Sparks was found in contempt for failing to pay fees and violating orders that were trying to get him in compliance with 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.