United States v. Volkswagen - Updates

Pending Criminal Division Cases

Volkswagen Diesel Engine Vehicle Matters
Court Docket No. 2:16-cr-20394 (E.D. Michigan)

Case Updates

Court Assigned: This case is assigned to Judge Sean Cox, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, at 231 W. Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226. Unless noted in an update below, all court events will take place at this location.

UPDATE – January 22, 2019: On January 18, 2019, IAV GmbH pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and VW’s U.S. customers and to violate the Clean Air Act by misleading the EPA and U.S. customers about whether certain VW- and Audi-branded diesel vehicles complied with U.S. vehicle emissions standards.

As a result of the guilty plea, the court has scheduled IAV’s sentencing for May 22, 2019 at 2:00 PM.

On December 18, 2018, IAV GmbH was charged by criminal information with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and VW’s U.S. customers and to violate the Clean Air Act by misleading the EPA and U.S. customers about whether certain VW- and Audi-branded diesel vehicles complied with U.S. vehicle emissions standards. The company has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $35 million criminal penalty.

For more information, see the Plea Agreement, which still must be accepted by the court.  The court has scheduled a plea hearing for January 18, 2019 at 9:30 AM.  The hearing will be before District Court Judge Sean Cox.

If you would like to contact our office regarding the guilty plea, you may contact the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.

Oliver Schmidt has applied for a prisoner treaty transfer to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Germany. The comment period on Mr. Schmidt’s application is now closed.

James Liang has applied for a prisoner treaty transfer to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Germany. The comment period on Mr. Liang’s application is now closed.

On December 6, 2017, Oliver Schmidt was sentenced to 84 months of incarceration and was ordered to pay a criminal penalty of $400,000.

On August 25, 2017, James Liang was sentenced to 40 months of incarceration, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a criminal penalty of $200,000.

On August 4, 2017, Oliver Schmidt pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, to commit wire fraud, and to violate the Clean Air Act, and one substantive count of violating the Clean Air Act charged in a fourth superseding information. The superseding information was filed on August 3, 2017. For more information, please click here.

Schmidt is scheduled to be sentenced on December 6, 2017 at 2:00 PM.

July 25, 2017: A change of plea hearing is set for Oliver Schmidt for August 4, 2017, at 9:30 AM. The hearing will be before Judge Sean Cox.

On July 6, 2017, Giovanni Pamio, was charged by complaint with conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, and violation of the Clean Air Act. For more information about the charges, please click here.

The sentencing hearing scheduled for James Liang on July 26, 2017, at 2:00 PM has been rescheduled for August 25, 2017, at 10:00 AM. The hearing will be before Judge Sean Cox.

On April 21, 2017, the court accepted the plea agreement and ordered VW to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty. As part of the plea agreement, VW agreed to the penalty, as well as to fully cooperate in the government’s ongoing investigation and prosecution of the remaining defendants, be on probation for three years, and be under an independent corporate compliance monitor who will oversee the company for at least three years.

On March 10, 2017, VW pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, to commit wire fraud, and to violate the Clean Air Act; obstruction of justice; and entry of goods by false statements. For more information, please see the Plea Agreement.

The court set VW’s sentencing for April 21, 2017, at 9:30 AM before District Court Judge Cox.

The court also scheduled a status hearing for March 16, 2017, at 11:00 AM. The court held an earlier status hearing on March 9, 2017 at 11:00 AM.

The plea hearing set for VW on February 24, at 2:30 pm has been rescheduled to March 10, 2017, at 9:30 am. The hearing will be before District Court Judge Sean Cox.

A sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for James Liang on May 3, 2017, at 2:00 PM. The hearing will be before District Court Judge Sean Cox.

A plea hearing for VW has been set for February 24, 2017, at 2:30 pm. The hearing will be before District Court Judge Sean Cox.

For information about the charges in this case, please click here.

Because of the court’s schedule, hearing dates could change on very short notice. If you plan on attending, you may want to contact the Victim Assistance Line toll-free at (888) 549-3945 or email us at victimassistance.fraud@usdoj.gov.