As some would say, “the s**t just got real…” James Liang, 63, a former VW engineer, has been sentenced to 40-months in federal prison, and fined a whopping US$200,000, for his part in the VW emissions scandal. (see statement from US Attorney’s Office appended in PDF below)
Liang, a native of Indonesia but of German citizenship, is a diesel-expert who’s been with VW for over 30-years, helped prosecutors build their case against higher level executives in VW. More dominoes are likely to fall soon.
“Despite Liang’s cooperation with authorities, he had been a key enabler of VW’s ability to cheat diesel emissons standards. Liang was “too loyal” to his lifelong employer, who was paying his rent on a 3,600-square-foot, five-bedroom home in an exclusive area of Southern California. (I want) to impose a sentence that would be a message to other employees in the industry who might be asked by their employers to do illegal deeds.” – U.S. District Court Judge Sean Cox.
Speaking of execs, Oliver Schmidt, a former VW executive, pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit in connection with the scandal. He faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $400,000 after admitting to conspiring to mislead U.S. regulators and violating clean air laws. Sentencing will be in December this year. (Source: Automotive News)
The US Attorney’s Office Statement: Official DoJ Statement
Image & Story Source: Automotive News
