The LA Times reports the VW executive in charge of US emissions was arrested two days ago in Florida.
This is the second arrest of a VW employee as part of the fallout from Dieselgate – VW’s attempt to hide poor emissions while their cars are tested.
Oliver Schmidt, who was general manager of the engineering and environmental office for VW of America, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and wire fraud.
Schmidt is the second VW employee to be arrested as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the German automaker, which has admitted that it programmed diesel-powered vehicles to turn pollution controls on during tests and to turn them off in real-world driving. The scandal has cost VW sales and has tarnished its brand worldwide.
As of this writing, he is still in jail in Florida.
VW is in the middle of a Dieselgate agreement reached in 2016 with the US government: vehicle buybacks.
