DETROIT (AP) - A Volkswagen executive who was arrested in the U.S. before he could fly home to Germany has appeared in Detroit federal court on charges related to the company’s emissions scandal.
A not-guilty plea was entered Thursday on Oliver Schmidt’s behalf. He’s charged with conspiracy and other crimes in Volkswagen’s scheme to sell nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles that didn’t meet U.S. pollution standards. The company is expected to plead guilty on March 10.
Schmidt was manager of a VW office in suburban Detroit from 2012 to 2015. He was arrested at the Miami airport on Jan. 7 after a vacation in Florida and Cuba.
Schmidt is in custody without bond. His lawyer plans to seek his release. Five other VW executives charged in the case are in Germany.
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