Dec. 8 2017—A federal court judge in Detroit sentenced a former Volkswagen manager Wednesday to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay $400,000 in the company's massive diesel emissions cheating scandal, according to USA Today.
Judge Sean Cox described the ex-manager, Oliver Schmidt, as an opportunist and a significant player in Volkswagen's attempted coverup.
But he also noted that "senior management has not been held accountable" in a case that has hurt both consumers who thought they were getting a good product and blue-collar and middle-management workers at VW.
He said the VW case "attacks and destroys" the foundation of the country's economic system—he trust between buyers and sellers.
Cox sided with the U.S. Attorney's Office in its sentencing recommendation.
The defense, led by attorney David DuMouchel of Detroit, had requested 40 months and a $100,000 fine.
