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Reality TV Star Arrested for Contempt of Court
9 Oct
Summary
- Discovery Channel's Diesel Brothers star arrested
- Accused of repeatedly violating Clean Air Act
- Fined $850,000 in 2020 for over 400 violations
On October 7, 2025, David "Heavy D" Sparks, a former star of the Discovery Channel reality series Diesel Brothers, was arrested after being found in contempt by a federal judge in Utah. According to court documents, Sparks had "repeatedly and willfully violated" court orders set forth in a lawsuit accusing him and other Diesel Brothers stars of violating the Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit, filed in 2017 by the non-profit group Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, alleged that Sparks and his co-stars modified vehicle exhaust systems to produce excessive black smoke, a toxic pollutant. In 2018, a court had ordered an injunction barring the defendants from making any more such modifications, but in 2020, Sparks, along with two other Diesel Brothers stars, were fined $850,000 for violating the Clean Air Act more than 400 times.
Despite these previous findings of contempt, Sparks continued to engage in behavior that led to an additional contempt citation on October 2, 2025, resulting in a warrant for his arrest. He is currently being held in a Salt Lake City jail as he awaits a hearing on the matter.
