F.B.I. Arrests Volkswagen Executive

[BenK]

About time corporate CEO's get held accountable for their management decisions and/or mandates !!!!!!


F.B.I. Arrests Volkswagen Executive on Conspiracy Charge in Emissions Scandal

NYTimes wrote:


The F.B.I. has arrested a Volkswagen executive in Florida, accusing him of playing a central role in a broad conspiracy to keep United States regulators from discovering that diesel vehicles made by the company were programmed to cheat on emissions tests.

The executive, Oliver Schmidt, a German who is the former top emissions compliance manager for Volkswagen in the United States, was arrested on Saturday by investigators in Florida on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday.

The arrest of Mr. Schmidt is an escalation of the criminal investigation into emissions cheating by Volkswagen and comes amid talks between the company and the United States Justice Department about what penalties the carmaker should accept as part of a settlement.

After a study by West Virginia University first raised questions over Volkswagen’s diesel motors in early 2014, Mr. Schmidt played a central role in trying to convince regulators that excess emissions were caused by technical problems rather than by deliberate cheating, Ian Dinsmore, an F.B.I. agent, said in a sworn affidavit used as the basis for Mr. Schmidt’s arrest.

Mr. Schmidt deceived American regulators “by offering reasons for the discrepancy other than the fact that VW was intentionally cheating on U.S. emissions tests, in order to allow VW to continue to sell diesel vehicles in the United States,” the affidavit said.

Mr. Schmidt continued to represent Volkswagen after the company admitted in September that cars were programmed to dupe regulators. He appeared before a committee of the British Parliament in January, telling legislators that Volkswagen’s behavior was not illegal in Europe.



snip...

[drsteve]

rexlion wrote:
When Schmidt defended VW like a good soldier, and then VW admitted to cheating, in effect they threw their guy under the bus.

Good soldier? More like one of the generals.

As the former head emissions compliance manager for Volkswagen, Schmidt was not some obscure, low-on-the-food-chain underling following orders, he was a top executive. He's probably the guy who told the engineers to alter the software in order to fool the emissions tests.

[ACZL]

Took about as long to arrest him as it's taking VW to respond to it's customers when they will be actually notified of their buyback if chosen.

[brulaz]

mowin wrote:

rexlion wrote:
When Schmidt defended VW like a good soldier, and then VW admitted to cheating, in effect they threw their guy under the bus.

X2... The ones who directed him, walk away Scott free and still collect their bonus.

All Schmidt has to do is talk.
But will he?

They earlier convicted a lowly engineer. I bet he talked and we're now seeing the results.

[mowin]

rexlion wrote:
When Schmidt defended VW like a good soldier, and then VW admitted to cheating, in effect they threw their guy under the bus.

X2... The ones who directed him, walk away Scott free and still collect their bonus.

[rexlion]

When Schmidt defended VW like a good soldier, and then VW admitted to cheating, in effect they threw their guy under the bus.

[buta4]

Good question. :h

[jerem0621]

Bird Freak wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
BDT

Are we supposed to know what this is?

Yea I was thinking its about dang time and typed BDT....that's what I get for typing while waiting in a lunch line.

[Bird_Freak]

jerem0621 wrote:
BDT

Are we supposed to know what this is?

[jerem0621]

Edited

it's about dang time

Thanks!