Ex-VW CEO Martin Winterkorn Officially Charged

Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn charged with plotting to defraud consumers

German prosecutors have officially charged former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn with aggravated assault in connection to diesel emissions fraud. Winterkorn reigned over the VW empire at the time of the dieselgate scandal, and even though he stepped down from his executive role in 2015, the longtime executive and other four VW bosses were charged on a German court on Monday morning for repeatedly deceiving regulators.

Although a sentence hasn't been reached by officials, and it could be months before one is made public, Winterkorn could face up to 10 years in prison and be forced to repay tens of millions of euros that were originally awarded for sales bonuses, according to CNN. In addition to fraud, Winterkorn and company were also charged with embezzlement and violating the country's competition laws, the latter by claiming that VW vehicles produced fewer emissions than the competitors', therefore giving them an advantage in the marketplace.

Out of the five individuals charged only Winterkorn's name was made public, with the reason for keeping the other four names secret not divulged to the media. According to The New York Times, all five individuals were tied to key moments in which the prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig believes the entire plot was conceived and kept out of the public eye. The investigative report shows that the scheme was born sometime in 2006, and escalated throughout the years as several domestic agencies unsuccessfully probed VW in their home country—proving that it wasn't until the United States environmental authorities inquired in 2015 that alarms started going off. The Drive