Volkswagen exec Oliver Schmidt to plead guilty in emissions scandal, court says
DETROIT — A German Volkswagen executive plans to plead guilty in the company's U.S. emissions scandal, according to a court spokesman in Detroit.
Spokesman David Ashenfelter says lawyers informed a judge on Tuesday. Oliver Schmidt is set to appear in federal court on Aug. 4.
Schmidt, who has been in custody since January, is one of many VW employees charged in the U.S. in a scheme to cheat emission rules on nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles. He was arrested while on vacation in Miami.
VW has admitted to using software to get around diesel emission standards. Schmidt is accused of lying to U.S. regulators by saying technical problems, not the software, were to blame for the difference in emissions in road and lab tests.
He was the manager of VW's environment and engineering office in suburban Detroit.