Daily News: Wednesday 12/6/17

Well, remember yesterday when I said that the automotive world had spent itself in terms of new, exciting news? Sadly, the pattern continues today, with very little car news. However, unfortunately for the man below, there is some news to report.

Second VW Executive Handed Prison Sentence for Role in Diesel Emissions Scandal

Over the past year, various court settlements have been coming Volkswagen’s way, as well as the way of some of their employee’s, due to the actions regarding diesel emissions and cheating. Now, following a recent ruling by an American judge, the second of these employees will be spending time in a US jail.

Oliver Schmidt, 48, was formerly general manager of the company’s environmental office in Michigan, and has been sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay a $400,000 fine. He will be joining a VW engineer sentenced earlier this year, James Robert Liang, 63, who was sentenced to 40 months and ordered to pay a $200,000 fine in August.

Schmidt was arrested by the FBI in January while visiting Miami after the Department of Justice issued a warrant for him and five other executives in Germany.

“VW is not going to walk into this room. VW is a group of individuals, and it is individuals who make choices,” said prosecutor Ben Singer. “Maybe it didn’t start out as Mr. Schmidt’s scheme, but it became his scheme. And that’s important.”

Fellow VW employee, Liang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and to committing wire fraud in violating the Clean Air Act back in September 2016.