Volkswagen Executive Sentenced to Seven Years for U.S. Emissions Fraud

Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt, charged with U.S. Emissions fraud, is shown in this booking photo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., provided Jan. 9, 2017. Courtesy of Broward County Sheriff's Office/Handout via Reuters

DETROIT–A U.S.-based Volkswagen AG executive who oversaw emissions issues was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $400,000 by a judge on Wednesday, Dec. 6, for his role in a diesel emissions scandal that has cost the German automaker as much as $30 billion.

The prison sentence and fine for the executive, Oliver Schmidt, were the maximum possible under a plea deal in August the German national made with prosecutors after admitting to charges of conspiring to mislead U.S. regulators and violate clean-air laws.