Feds: Oakdale company sold aftermarket parts that boost vehicle emissions

An Oakdale-based corporation allegedly sold auto parts that increase a vehicle's pollutant emissions in violation of the Clean Air Act, according to a federal civil complaint filed Wednesday.

The corporation, Spectrum Wholesale Inc., sold 672 "aftermarket defeat devices," designed to eliminate or bypass a manufacturer’s emissions controls for vehicles with "heavy-duty diesel engines," between Oct. 18, 2019, and Sept. 2, 2020, violating the act, says the complaint, which was filed in Central Islip federal court.

The act prohibits both the tampering of emissions controls as well as the manufacture and sale of aftermarket hardware- and software-defeat devices, according to the EPA’s website.

Prosecutors filed the complaint against Spectrum and Thomas J. Ciccarelli, identified as the corporation’s owner.

The products, which Ciccarelli allegedly sold online, affect a vehicle’s power, fuel economy and maintenance costs, according to the complaint. The aftermarket parts can also cause "motor vehicles to emit hundreds to thousands of times more pollution than a motor vehicle with emission controls with properly functioning" design elements pertinent to emissions, the complaint states. EPA testing cited in the complaint showed that bypassing or eliminating a vehicle's emissions controls can increase tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by a factor of 130.

"These sales have put the public health and the environment at risk by defeating critical vehicle emission controls on hundreds of vehicles," said Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District, in a statement Wednesday announcing the claim.

Jason Russo, the Garden City-based defense attorney representing Ciccarelli, 34, of Oakdale, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

The complaint seeks "relief and civil penalties" for violating the Clean Air Act and Environmental Protection Agency's implementing regulations.

"The increased air pollution resulting from these devices threatens the health of everyone, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, children and older adults," said Lisa Garcia, the regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, which covers New York and New Jersey, in the statement.

"To protect public health," Garcia said, "EPA is enforcing measures to eliminate the manufacture and sale of such devices to ensure that the vehicles on our roads meet required emission standards."