The U.S. Justice Department has indicted two senior FCA (as the brand was named before Stellantis was formed) managers in Italy as part of the ongoing probe into diesel emissions cheating at the car manufacturer.
Authorities indicted 43-year-old Sergio Pasini of Ferrera, Italy and 55-year-old Gianluca Sabbioni of Sala Bologenese, Italy in March alongside 42-year-old Emanuele Palma of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan who was previously charged.
Palma was charged in September 2019 with making and causing Fiat Chrysler to make misstatements to U.S. regulators about diesel engines’ emission control system and while he is not currently in custody, he is set to go to trial in October, Reuters reports.
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Officials in the U.S. began investigating widespread diesel emissions cheating throughout the automotive industry in the wake of Volkswagen’s dieselgate scandal. In January 2019, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles agreed to an $800 million settlement to resolve civil claims that it used illegal software that produced false results on diesel-emissions tests in more than 100,000 vehicles.
In October 2020, the car manufacturer recognized a new €222 million ($267 million) provision to settle matters related to the U.S. Justice Department’s criminal probe into the car manufacturer. The company continues to engage in settlement talks but it remains to be seen if an agreement will be reached.
In September 2020, Stellantis separately agreed to pay a $9.5 million settlement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that it misled investors over emissions regulations compliance.
