Second VW employee arrested over emissions scheme
DETROIT — The Volkswagen executive who once was in charge of complying with U.S. emissions regulations was arrested during the weekend in Florida and accused of deceiving federal regulators about the use of special software that cheated on emissions tests.
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, to commit wire fraud and to violate the Clean Air Act.
Schmidt, 48, a resident of Germany, is the second VW employee to be arrested as part of an ongoing federal investigation into VW, 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.
He was arrested during the weekend in Florida and faces an initial hearing in Miami Monday afternoon. After that he likely will be taken to Detroit, where the Justice Department investigation is based, to face arraignment at a later date. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.