Former Volkswagen manager sentenced to 7 years for emissions cheating scandal

A former manager at Volkswagen was sentenced to 84 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in the company’s emissions cheating scandal.

Oliver Schmidt, a German resident, pleaded guilty in August to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act and violating the Clean Air Act.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered him to serve seven years in prison and pay a $400,000 fine for this role in connection with the emissions scandal.

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Federal officials in 2015 uncovered a Volkswagen effort to bypass emissions limits for hundreds of thousands of its diesel-fueled vehicles by installing software allowing them to emit more pollution than federal guidelines permit.

The automaker has paid more than $25 billion in fines and settlements in the United States alone, and several former officials have either lost their jobs or face criminal charges in connection with the scandal.

In his plea agreement, Schmidt said he learned of the illicit software in the summer of 2015. He admitted to working with other executives to prevent disclosure of the information.

Schmidt was arrested in January while traveling in the United States.