Earlier this month, a high level engineer involved in Volkswagen’s (VW) emissions scandal pled guilty to a criminal charge for conspiring to deceive U.S. regulators.
The engineer, who led diesel competence at VW from 2008 through June 2016, is the first to enter a plea in the VW case. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the American government and has agreed to cooperate with ongoing investigations in Germany and the U.S.
The engineer admitted that he helped construct and implement the cheating software to bypass emissions testing, along with deceiving air pollution tests.
Knowing that VW was lying in their marketing claims that the affected vehicles were environmentally friendly, the engineer lied and helped others lie to American regulators once questions about the high levels of pollution emitted by the cars came into question.
Because of this engineer’s admittance, other high level Volkswagen officials may be found guilty as well. Prosecutors believe that, with this engineer’s cooperation, the fraudulent scheme will further unravel and bring to light other individuals implicated in the scandal.
Volkswagen previously stated that no upper level employees were involved in the deception and it was solely the work of lower level employees. However, this statement has been proven false by the engineer’s guilty plea.
Admitting to using cheating software in almost 11 million vehicles, Volkswagen has agreed to pay billions of dollars to dealers and consumers.
The cheating software was designed to know when an emissions test was performed and then calibrate the vehicle’s engine to run cleaner than it would while driving in the real world. VW vehicles emitted up to 40 times the amount of legal pollution.
If you were duped by VW and purchased a VW model with deceptive software, contact Greg Coleman Law to find out if you are entitled to join a Volkswagen class action lawsuit. Our experienced Knoxville personal injury attorneys will review your claim in a free consultation and pursue any compensation you are entitled.
Contact us today by calling (865) 247-0080 or completing a Free Case Evaluation form.
