A criminal charge has been laid in the U.S. Justice Department’s probe into the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal.
A Volkswagen engineer pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in a U.S. District Court in Detroit today, Reuters reports.The veteran engineer, identified as James Liang, pleaded guilty and entered a plea agreement. A DOJ spokesperson says part of the agreement includes having the engineer assist the government’s investigation into the automaker’s emissions cheating.
Liang, 62, has worked for the automaker since 1983 and was reportedly part of the team that developed the defeat device-equipped diesel engines. He left Germany to work for Volkswagen’s U.S. operations in 2008, around the time that the emissions-cheating 2.0-liter TDI models were being readied for sale.
Liang is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud against U.S. regulators and customers, and could face five years in prison. The indictment alleges that Liang conspired with past and current engineers to mislead government regulators. The engineer is reportedly cooperating with authorities, which now puts the heat on executives at the company.
According to Reuters, charges were laid against Liang in June, but the indictment was only made public today.
Volkswagen has already agreed to spend up to $16.5 billion to compensate U.S. owners and environmental regulators, as well as settle some state-level fines. A total of 475,000 2.0-liter diesel models are subject to a buyback program in the U.S.
I’d sing like a canary.
He’s only been a “U.S.” engineer since 2008; he worked for VW in the Fatherland for decades before that, even speaking to the court through a translator.
So he’s really a “German” engineer (by nationality, not heritage). Now I finally know what “German Engineering” means.
I hope this fellow IDs who knew what, and when – particularly the decision makers. He mustn’t become the scapegoat.
I’d bet my next retirement payment that the knowledge goes all the way to the top. There’s no way in an org that size something this big and complex didn’t get talked about.
Bosch asked VW to indemnify it against any legal costs in the event that the defeat device became known and resulted in legal proceedings.
Bosch would have made this request very high up in VW. Not the lone engineer on the grassy knoll
There’s never a lone engineer on the grassy knoll. There are always management puppetmasters.
Yup, lets turn it into another cheesy lawyer drama. Where the “good” lawyers and government drones “determine” who is “at fault.” Iiiit’s sooo, like, exciiiting!!!! For the sycophantic drones. Like throwing Christians into the arena with lions and have the drones cheer for dear leader.
Way too melodramatic. Germany doesn’t extradite its nationals for very much.
This guy happens to be the only crook available to the US Judicial system. So he gets whacked. The End.
Like a canary on truth serum that hates to take the fall for those fat cats.
Squeal like a pig, name names, go out in a ball of flames!
VW certainly won’t come to his aid….I’d give the Feds everything if I were him.
Was all this really worth avoiding a urea injection system?
He’ll soon experience a different kind of injection system.
Nah, he’s cooperating with the Feds in their investigation, and he’s also 62. He’ll get probation or sent back home to Germany. Hopefully he has the goods on managers and executives who actually gave the orders, rather than just the engineers who carried them out. That’s what the Feds really want.
Yeah, you’re right, plus it’s the Federal system, much different from state prisons. He’ll probably be deported after it’s all over.
I doubt it. He’s a small fish; they want the Big Dogs.
Oh, but remember how the U.S. legal system works – small fish go to jail and big dogs make $100K an hour on the speaking trail (and millions on their book deals).
My favorite movie line of all time – “that’s not a pina colada you’re sucking on”
Well, if he went to trial and I was on the jury at the very least he’d wind up with a mistrial due to hung jury. (No way would I cast a “guilty” vote in a case like this.)
http://www.fija.org
He will probably avoid the US penal system
“James, remember to tell them it was all your doing. You’ll have to take five years for the team. But we promise that your family will be looked after.”
wenn die Kacke am Dampfen ist
Two possibilities:
1) This is the fall guy
2) No prison time in exchange for cooperation in the conviction of others
Definitely Door #2. There must be nervous people in Wolfsburg right now.
Finally found someone they can force into helping them, since all the rest of the guilty parties are outside US jurisdiction.
Houston, we have a scapegoat!
If VW execs don’t get the same kind of treatment I’ll do my best to never buy a VW product again.
Work out a deal that involves No jail time then sing like a bird and squeal like a pig.
He should make sure that he has enough in his retirement savings because not many German companies may hire someone for speaking out against his former employer.
Maybe he actually has some sort of conscience hence why he did the deal, in addition to not wanting to get any jail time.
Maybe some of VW’s management will get busted!
I must say on general principles that this elderly company man will probably say nein to the foolish threat of a five year jail sentence.
We need to figure out a way to jail corporations….if they are indeed people. I feel for the poor bastard who was last in the signature line.
Oh well…massive torque, 40 mpg WAS too good to be true. I liked my TDi quite a bit.
The jails aren’t big enough. Corporations are undead Frankenstein monsters who stomp among us like the Martian machines from War of the Worlds. IMHO.