Former VW Exec Gets 7 Years in Prison for Role in Dieselgate Scandal

Former Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt, who authorities say played a significant role in trying to cover up the automaker’s ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, has been sentenced to 7 years in prison and must pay a $400,000 fine.

The sentencing represents the maximum allowable punishment for the 48-year old Schmidt, who was arrested in January of this year when trying to return to Germany following a family vacation on Florida. He will be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence in the Milan, Michigan facility where he has been held since March. Schmidt will also be granted time served for the 11 months he has already spent behind bars.

Authorities say Schmidt led VW’s initiative to conceal its diesel emissions scandal and did not cooperate with US investigators during their probe into the matter. He plead guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating the Clean Air Act. According to Automotive News Europe, a third charge of aiding and abetting wire fraud was rolled into the conspiracy charge as part of a plea agreement.

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

This article first appeared on AutoGuide

The post Former VW Exec Gets 7 Years in Prison for Role in Dieselgate Scandal appeared first on VWVortex.

from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2BKaOcZ
via IFTTT

Comments

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...

Vorderman Volkswagen

Search This Blog