At a federal court in Detroit, James Liang, a German VW engineer, pleaded guilty to charges of violating the US Clean Air Act, conspiring to defraud the US and wire fraud.
In doing so, he is the first individual from VW to face criminal prosecution in relation to the ongoing Dieselgate saga and faces up to five years in prison.
Liang first started working at Volkswagen in 1983 and in 2006, played a key part in developing a cheat device for the Jetta, reports Autocar. This device was then tested in the United States and its affects hidden from emissions regulators.
While Volkswagen has agreed to a settlement with US authorities worth upwards of $16.5 billion, the company still faces criminal charges in the country and more of its employees may also face criminal charges individually.
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