SouthernWorldwide.com – President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has issued full executive pardons to six individuals whom he claims were unfairly targeted and prosecuted by the Biden administration. Trump stated that these individuals were essentially “persecuted” for the simple act of “fixing their car.”
In a post made on Truth Social Friday afternoon, the former president strongly criticized federal prosecutions, describing them as part of what he called the “Weaponization and Stupidity” of the previous administration. He emphatically declared, “I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!”
These pardons are consistent with Trump’s ongoing efforts to champion the “right to repair” movement. Earlier in the week, he had signed a presidential memo aimed at making it easier for Americans to repair their own vehicles. This initiative seeks to protect self-repair rights and expand options for aftermarket parts.
Trump explained his motivation during a news conference in the Oval Office, stating, “It came to my attention because I noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car.” He emphasized his belief in common sense governance, adding, “We rule by common sense.”
The executive clemency appears to be directly linked to a federal environmental case involving Elite Diesel Service Inc. and its owner, Troy Lake Sr. Lake himself received a full and unconditional pardon on November 7, 2025. This pardon effectively nullified his conviction in the case known as United States v. Elite Diesel Service, Inc. et al.
According to federal plea agreements, Elite Diesel had instructed its employees to disable computerized on-board diagnostic systems in at least 344 heavy-duty commercial trucks. This practice occurred between January 2017 and December 2020.
These diagnostic systems are mandated by federal law under the Clean Air Act. Their primary purpose is to monitor the vehicle’s emissions control systems.
Lake was sentenced on December 5, 2024, to over a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The company, Elite Diesel Service Inc., was placed on probation for five years. Additionally, it was ordered to pay a $37,500 fine and a $12,500 payment to a program run by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment. This program is designed to assist low-income drivers with emissions system repairs.
Government prosecutors had also argued that other diesel truck garages and fleets, acting as co-conspirators with Elite Diesel, hired Lake’s company to tamper with the vehicle computers. The goal was to prevent the detection of malfunctions in the emission systems, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
The extensive investigation conducted by the EPA ultimately implicated eight alleged co-conspirator garages and fleets located across seven different states. These states included Kansas, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.
These businesses were ordered to pay substantial fines. They were also required to fund local community service projects, such as purchasing clean school buses or electric groundskeeping equipment, as a means of offsetting the environmental impacts of their actions, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
At the time these prosecutions were underway, officials from the Biden administration defended these criminal proceedings as being crucial for public health.
Lance Ehrig, a Special Agent with the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, accused the defendants of orchestrating a “large-scale conspiracy” that significantly “diminished air quality.”
A study cited by the prosecution claimed that the trucks whose systems had been tampered with collectively released over 1,300 tons of excess nitrogen oxides and other pollutants into the atmosphere.
As of Friday, the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney website had not yet been updated to include the names of the individuals who were granted clemency by the president.
