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I received a card today stating that Bosch too was penalized. "They" say that if I already was "Approved" by VW that I'll be receiving $350 from Bosch. Meanwhile-
This was released this morning 3/10/17
BREAKING: VW Pleads Guilty In Emissions Cheating Suit
Share us on: By Emily Field
Law360, New York (March 10, 2017, 11:03 AM EST) -- Volkswagen AG on Friday formally pleaded guilty in Michigan federal court to three criminal charges and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from the automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.
During a hearing in Detroit federal court, Manfred Doess, general counsel for German car manufacturer, entered a guilty plea to counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud and violations of the Clean Air Act, as per a settlement agreement with the DOJ and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection initially reached in January. The agreement also contains measures to fortify the company’s compliance systems.
The company’s guilty plea is a step toward ending the emissions cheating maelstorm that started in September 2015 ,when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board accused the company of using the defeat devices to evade federal emissions tests for diesel vehicles.
Volkswagen admitted fault and disclosed that the software was equipped in millions of diesel vehicles worldwide, nearly 600,000 of which were sold in the United States. The defeat devices allowed the vehicles to emit more toxins into the air after they left testing labs and were out on the roads. The government hit VW and its subsidiaries with a Clean Air Act suit over the emissions cheating in January 2015.
A number of Volkswagen executives have also become caught up in the ensuing saga. A day after VW entered into the draft agreement on Jan. 10, one executive, Oliver Schmidt, was arrested in Miami and charged with consipring to defraud the U.S. in connection with the scandal.
Schmidt, 48, was the general manager of VW’s environmental and engineering office in Michigan and allegedly knew the vehicles had software installed that would recognize when the car was being tested and alter emissions output.
Five others were charged that day with wire fraud and are still believed to be in Germany.
Schmidt’s trial will start on April 18 before U.S. District Judge Sean Cox.
His attorneys have argued that when Schmidt learned about the government’s investigation, he voluntarily met with the FBI and DOJ and went to Miami on Christmas vacation with his wife knowing that he could be arrested, according to court filings.
Schmidt’s background is in gasoline engines— not diesel— and project management and had nothing to do with designing diesel engines or the defeat device software, according to his attorneys.
Schmidt has been detained since his Jan. 7 arrest; at his arraignment, his attorney asked during a March 2 hearing that he be moved to the federal penitentiary in Milan, Michigan, according to court officials.
Schmidt is charged with 11 counts and faces a combined maximum sentence of 169 years in prison, according to the court filings.
The government has contended that Schmidt was part of a July 2015 meeting that included an explicit description of the defeat device by another participant and during which it was decided that he would use his connections with U.S. regulators to persuade them to release certifications for model year 2016 diesel cars, which were then awaiting import to the U.S.
This was released this morning 3/10/17
BREAKING: VW Pleads Guilty In Emissions Cheating Suit
Share us on: By Emily Field
Law360, New York (March 10, 2017, 11:03 AM EST) -- Volkswagen AG on Friday formally pleaded guilty in Michigan federal court to three criminal charges and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice stemming from the automaker’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.
During a hearing in Detroit federal court, Manfred Doess, general counsel for German car manufacturer, entered a guilty plea to counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud and violations of the Clean Air Act, as per a settlement agreement with the DOJ and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection initially reached in January. The agreement also contains measures to fortify the company’s compliance systems.
The company’s guilty plea is a step toward ending the emissions cheating maelstorm that started in September 2015 ,when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board accused the company of using the defeat devices to evade federal emissions tests for diesel vehicles.
Volkswagen admitted fault and disclosed that the software was equipped in millions of diesel vehicles worldwide, nearly 600,000 of which were sold in the United States. The defeat devices allowed the vehicles to emit more toxins into the air after they left testing labs and were out on the roads. The government hit VW and its subsidiaries with a Clean Air Act suit over the emissions cheating in January 2015.
A number of Volkswagen executives have also become caught up in the ensuing saga. A day after VW entered into the draft agreement on Jan. 10, one executive, Oliver Schmidt, was arrested in Miami and charged with consipring to defraud the U.S. in connection with the scandal.
Schmidt, 48, was the general manager of VW’s environmental and engineering office in Michigan and allegedly knew the vehicles had software installed that would recognize when the car was being tested and alter emissions output.
Five others were charged that day with wire fraud and are still believed to be in Germany.
Schmidt’s trial will start on April 18 before U.S. District Judge Sean Cox.
His attorneys have argued that when Schmidt learned about the government’s investigation, he voluntarily met with the FBI and DOJ and went to Miami on Christmas vacation with his wife knowing that he could be arrested, according to court filings.
Schmidt’s background is in gasoline engines— not diesel— and project management and had nothing to do with designing diesel engines or the defeat device software, according to his attorneys.
Schmidt has been detained since his Jan. 7 arrest; at his arraignment, his attorney asked during a March 2 hearing that he be moved to the federal penitentiary in Milan, Michigan, according to court officials.
Schmidt is charged with 11 counts and faces a combined maximum sentence of 169 years in prison, according to the court filings.
The government has contended that Schmidt was part of a July 2015 meeting that included an explicit description of the defeat device by another participant and during which it was decided that he would use his connections with U.S. regulators to persuade them to release certifications for model year 2016 diesel cars, which were then awaiting import to the U.S.