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Asheville -- June 27, 2022 According to Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, on Thursday, Matthew Sidney Geouge, 35, of Hendersonville, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison today
for conspiring to break the Clean Air Act by selling more than 14,000 illegal "defeat devices," also known as devices that circumvent required vehicle emissions control systems. In addition, Geouge was mandated to pay a $1.3 million civil penalty to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as $1.2 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, six of which will be spent in home confinement. Geouge was given a term for tax evasion in addition to the Clean Air Act violation.
"Tuners" are tools that can circumvent a car's automated emissions controls, which is against the Clean Air Act. In 2008, Geouge approached a business that made tuners, and he created software programs for the tuners known as "tunes," which were intended to maximize the engine power of specific vehicles and cause noticeably higher levels of dangerous air pollutants. Slagel started working for the firm that produced the tuners in 2012 and eventually became its owner. In a joint scheme with Geouge, Davis and Bailly established additional businesses that sold tuners made by Slagel's company with Geouge's tunes pre-installed on them. The conspirators sold a whopping 14,000 or more illegal tuners valued millions of dollars in total.
In 2015, Geouge received a notice of violation from the EPA. However, Geouge persisted in offering sales and support for illegal devices. By having someone else receive the money he made from the sale of the illegal devices, Geouge also avoided paying an EPA fine and taxes due to the IRS.
Geouge’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced for their roles in the scheme after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act:
John A. Slagel, 52, of Fairbury, Illinois, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a $150,000 fine.
Joshua L. Davis, 43, of Metamora, Illinois, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and to pay a $50,000 fine.
Spade Kaosu Bailly, 50, of Hendersonville, was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement, and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay a $10,000 fine.
Wnctimes by Marjorie Farrington
