Six VW executives face charges
The US Department of Justice has announced charges against six executives at Volkswagen.
The accusations are part of the government's ongoing case against the car maker for knowingly selling diesel vehicles that did not meet US emissions standards.
All of the executives are German and five of them are believed to currently live in Germany. One, Oliver Schmidt, was arrested on January 7 in Miami during a visit to the US.
The six executives are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the US by making false statements to regulators and the public.
:: Jens Hadler, 50, head of Volkswagen engine development, 2007-2011. Charged with conspiracy.
:: Bernd Gottweis, 69, head of quality management and product safety, 2007-2014. Charged with wire fraud.
:: Richard Dorenkamp, 68, head of VW engine after-treatment department, 2003-2013. Led the team of engineers that developed the first diesel engine designed to meet US emissions standards. Charged with clean air violations.
:: Heinz-Jakob Neusser, 56, head of Volkswagen engine development, 2011-2013, and head of VW brand development, 2013-2015. Charged with wire fraud and clean air violations.
: Oliver Schmidt, 48, head of VW's engineering and environmental office in Michigan, 2012-2015. Charged with wire fraud and clean air violations.
:: Jurgen Peter, 59, engineer in the quality management and product safety group, 1990-present. Charged with wire fraud and clean air violations.
