A former Volkswagen senior manager has been sentenced to 84 months in prison for his role in a massive scheme to cheat U.S. emissions tests.
Oliver Schmidt, 48, a citizen and resident of Germany, was sentenced on February 2022 by U.S. District Judge Sean F. Cox of the Eastern District of Michigan.
According to the sentencing documents, Schmidt was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, to commit wire fraud and to violate the Clean Air Act, and to one count of violating the Clean Air Act.
The scheme involved Volkswagen’s ‘clean diesel’ vehicles, which contained software designed to cheat U.S. emissions tests. Schmidt admitted to participating in discussions with other VW employees on how to coordinate responses to questions from U.S. regulators without admitting to the defeat device contained in vehicles.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the FBI, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, investigated the case.
Schmidt was also ordered to pay a criminal penalty of $400,000.
This sentencing marks the latest development in the ongoing case against Volkswagen, which was previously found guilty of violating the Clean Air Act and sentenced to pay $2.8 billion in fines and penalties.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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