A former Audi executive has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and wire fraud for his involvement in the Volkswagen diesel emissions cheating scheme.
On Thursday, Audi’s former department manager of thermodynamics and exhaust gas after-treatment in Germany, Zaccheo Giovanni Pamio, was charged at the U.S. District Court in Detroit with the aforementioned offenses, as well as making false statements about the U.S. Clean Air Act,The Detroit News reports.
It is alleged that after discovering it was impossible to tune VW’s diesel engines to meet nitrogen emissions standards, Pamio instructed Audi employees to design software that could cheat testing in the United States. The complaint also says that Pamio knowingly participated in conspiracy for almost a decade from around 2006 to November 2015.
In a statement, Audi said it is cooperating with authorities, but can’t reveal further details about the case.
“Volkswagen continues to cooperate with investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice into the conduct of individuals. It would not be appropriate to comment on any ongoing investigations or to discuss personnel matters,” the automaker said.
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