VW Moves Beyond Criminal Case, but Not Without a Scolding -
By BILL VLASICAPRIL 21, 2017
DETROIT — The criminal case against Volkswagen for its decade-long scheme to cheat on diesel
emissions tests ended Friday with a scolding, an apology and $4.3 billion in penalties.
In accepting the plea agreement, Judge Cox declined to make Volkswagen pay criminal restitution to consumers in addition to a $2.8 billion fine
and a $1.45 billion penalty to resolve environmental and customs-related civil claims brought by regulators.
Last month, Volkswagen received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to sell about 67,000 vehicles
that had received updated software as part of the overall emissions repair approved by federal and state regulators.
The sentence, affirmed at a court hearing, had been recommended by federal prosecutors in January as part of a deal in which the German automaker agreed
to plead guilty to three felony charges for illegally importing nearly 600,000 vehicles equipped with devices to circumvent emissions standards.
